September 3, 2025 • 34 mins
This investigation delves into the complex and often overlooked issues surrounding prostitution. While many individuals instinctively seek the causes behind societal vices, a significant portion of the intelligent population in New York has suffered the consequences of this persistent issue without exploring its root causes. Each year, countless lives are impacted, as broken health and tarnished reputations emerge from this vice. Is it too late to awaken your curiosity and compassion for this critical matter? We argue that it is high time to conduct an inquiry that addresses these pressing concerns‚one that is essential for public safety, personal well-being, and the greater good.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section fifty seven of the History of Prostitution. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by k hand The History of Prostitution by William Sanger,
Section fifty seven, Chapter thirty six, New York Extent, Effects
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and Cost of Prostitution, Part three. To ascertain the amount
expended for private medical assistance, it will be necessary to
recapitulate the outlay of the public institutions. Mentioned institutions Island
Hospital Blackwell's Island yearly outlay twenty two thousand, seven hundred
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fifty dollars weekly outlay four hundred thirty eight dollars. Bellevue Hospital,
New York yearly outlay seven thousand dollars weekly outlay one
hundred thirty five dollar dollars. Nursery Hospital Randall's Island yearly
outlay eight thousand, five hundred dollars weekly outlay one hundred
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sixty three dollars. Emigrants Hospital, Ward's Island yearly outlay seven thousand,
seventy five dollars weekly outlay one hundred thirty six dollars
City Hospital New York yearly outlay eight thousand, two hundred
sixty dollars weekly outlay one hundred fifty nine dollars. Dispensaries
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yearly outlay, seven hundred twenty eight dollars weekly outlay fourteen dollars.
King's County Hospital, Long Island, yearly outlay seven thousand, five
hundred thirty dollars weekly outlay one hundred forty five dollars.
Brooklyn City Hospital, Long Island, yearly outlay four thousand, six
hundred forty four dollars weekly outlay eighty nine dollars. Siemens Retreat,
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Staten Island yearly outlay ten thousand, five hundred forty dollars
weekly outlay two hundred three dollars. Total yearly outlay seventy
seven thousand, twenty seven dollars. Total weekly outlay one thousand,
four hundred eighty two dollars. These totals must be multiplied
by four, and the product will show the amount paid
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for private medical assistance as five thousand, nine hundred twenty
eight dollars weekly or three hundred eight thousand, one hundred
eight dollars yearly. This is calculated on too liberal a
scale for no one believes that an individual requiring professional
aid can obtain it so economically in private life as
in a public institution. Nor would even the fact that
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in the latter case the patients are boarded and supplied
with all necessaries more than counterbalance the sums which must
be paid for individual medical attendance. The desire not needlessly
to exaggerate facts which are sufficiently comprehensive without such a
procedure is the only reason that induces so low an estimate.
But there are yet other items of expenditure which must
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be noticed before the long array is completed. Foremost of
these is the cost of support of abandoned women in
the workhouse and penitentiary on Blackwell's Island. The proportion of
females committed to the workhouse during eighteen fifty seven was
three fifths of the total commitments. It is not asserted
that all these were prostitutes, but it is certain that
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the larger part were unchased, and for argument's sake, we
will take the ratio as too abandoned to one virtuous woman,
the latter representing the class whom poverty, sickness, or friendlessness
may have driven to accept a shelter in the institution.
The expenses of the workhouse for the year amounted to
seventy six thousand dollars, and the share of cost incurred
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on behalf of prostitutes would therefore be thirty thousand, four
hundred dollars per year or five hundred eighty five dollars
per week. The female sentenced to the penitentiary from courts
of criminal jurisdiction during eighteen fifty seven amount to twenty
seven percent of the tote total number incarcerated. It will
violate no probability to assume that all these women were prostitutes.
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There may be exceptions to the rule, but so rare
are they as not to invalidate the principle. The penitentiary
was supported during eighteen fifty seven at an outlay to
the taxpayers of nearly eighty nine thousand dollars, and the
proportion chargeable to prostitutes at the ratio given above is
twenty four thousand, thirty dollars per year or four hundred
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sixty two dollars per week. A farther portion of the
expenses of the workhouse and penitentiary might very plausibly be
included in the list, namely the share incurred by the
maintenance of those men who owe their imprisonment either to
crimes committed at the instigation of common women or for
the sake of supporting them, or to a course of
idleness and dissipation resulting from the companionship of prostitutes. To
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pursue this subject in all its minutia would lead to
the conclusion that nearly every male prisoner owes his confinement
less or more remotely to one or the other of
these causes, and hence it could be argued that all
the expenses of male imprisonment should be taken into this account.
On the other hand, such a course could be opposed
with the plea that crimes which send men to Blackwell's
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Island are only indirect results of the system under discussion,
and to recognize them would force the recognition of many
other indirect consequences daily occurring elsewhere. Strictly speaking, the position
is scarcely demonstrable enough to form an arithmetical calculation, but
its moral certainty is so far acknowledged as to make
it a serious matter of reflection. In connection with the
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attendant evils of prostitution. To resume, about fifty five percent
of the population of the almshouses Blackwell's Island are female.
Some of these are old, decrepit women whom it would
be impossible to consider as prostitutes. Others are virtuous women
whose poverty has driven them there. But many are broken
down prostitutes who have lost whatever of attraction they once possessed,
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and with ruined health and debilitated constitution, it is impossible
for them to exist even in the lowest brothels. They
make the Almshouse their last resting place, and there await
the final summons which shall close their career of sin
and misery. Yet another class in this institution is composed
of women with young children. Some claim to be respectable
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married women, while others are known as disreputable characters. But
the former have little to support their pretensions except to
their own assertion, and collateral testimony sometimes invalidates that it
is not an uncharitable conclusion that at least one half
of the female inmates of the Almshouse owe their dependence
upon charity to the prostitution. The support of the Almshouse
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in eighteen fifty seven costs the City of New York
sixty three thousand dollars, and the proportion resulting from prostitution
on the above data is fifteen thousand, seven hundred fifty
dollars per year or three hundred three dollars per week.
The children on Randall's Island may be classified according to
the rule already adopted in reference to disease in the
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nurse hospital there, namely, to assume that one half o
if not their existence, certainly their support from public funds
to causes that originated a vice. The nursery exclusive of
the hospital costs during last year sixty thousand dollars, one
half of which must, in accordance with the previous estimate,
be charged to prostitution, namely thirty thousand dollars per year
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or five hundred seventy seven dollars per week. The final
charge arises from the police and judiciary expenses of the
City of New York, of which it is believed that
ten percent is caused by prostitution and its concomitants crimes
and sufferings. The aggregate forms a large amount and will
be rather a surmise than an assertion. The maintenance of
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police officers and station houses, of police justices and their
court rooms of the City Judge and Recorder, with their
respective courts of the city and the district prisons, and
numerous contingent expenses cannot be less than two million dollars
per year. The percent chargeable to prostitution will therefore be
two hundred thousand dollars per year, or four thousand dollars
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per week. Thus much for preliminary explanations, it will now
be possible to present the reader with a tabular statement
of the weekly and yearly cost of the system of
prostitution existing in the metropolis of the New World. Those
who have followed us through this argument and noted the
facts upon which every calculation is based, will bear witness
that nothing has been exaggerated, that no dollar is debited
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to the vice without strong presumptive evidence to support such charge,
and that the endeavor has been throughout rather to underestimate
than exceed the bounds of strict probability. Upon this ground,
the attention of the public is earnestly requested to the
first exposition ever attempted of the amount paid by citizens
of and visitors to New York for illicit sexual gratification
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recapitulation expenditure, individual expenses paid to prostitutes. Weekly outlay sixty
thousand dollars yearly outlay three million, one hundred, twenty thousand
dollars spent for wine and liquor by visitors weekly outlay
forty thousand dollars yearly outlay two million, eighty thousand dollars
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paid by visitors to houses of assignation weekly outlay twelve thousand,
six hundred dollars. Yearly outlay six hundred fifty five thousand,
two hundred dollars spent for wine and liquor by visitors
to houses of assignation weekly outlay five thousand dollars. Yearly
outlay two hundred sixty thousand dollars spent in dancing saloons,
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liquor and large beer stores frequented by prostitutes and their friends.
Weekly outlay four thousand, five hundred thirty dollars. Yearly outlay
two hundred thirty five thousand, five hundred sixty dollars medical expenses.
Island Hospital, Blackwells, Island, weekly outlay four hundred thirty eight
dollars yearly outlay twenty two thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars.
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Bellevue Hospital, New York, weekly outlay one hundred thirty five
dollars yearly outlay seven thousand dollars. Nursery Hospital Randall's Island
weekly outlay one hundred sixty three dollars. Yearly outlay eight thousand,
five hundred dollars. Emigrants Hospital, Ward's Island weekly outlay one
hundred thirty six dollars. Yearly outlay seven thousand, seventy five dollars.
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New York City Hospital, New York weekly outlay one hundred
fifty nine dollars. Yearly outlay eight thousand, two hundred sixty dollars.
Dispensaries yearly outlay seven hundred twenty eight dollars. King's County Hospital,
Long Island weekly outlay one hundred forty five dollars. Yearly
outlay seven thousand, five hundred thirty dollars. Brooklyn City Hospital,
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Long Island weekly outlay eighty nine dollars. Yearly outlay four thousand,
six hundred forty four dollars. Siemens Retreat Staten Island weekly
outlay two hundred three dollars, yearly outlay ten thousand, five
hundred forty dollars. Private Medical Assistance weekly outlay five thousand,
nine hundred twenty eight dollars yearly outlay three hundred eight thousand,
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one hundred eight dollars. Vagrancy and pauper expenses, Workhouse Blackwell's
Island weekly outlay five hundred eighty five dollars yearly outlay
thirty thousand, four hundred dollars. Penitentiary Blackwell's Island weekly outlay
four hundred sixty two dollars yearly outlay twenty four thousand,
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thirty dollars. Almshouse Blackwell's Island weekly outlay three hundred three
dollars yearly outlay fifteen thousand, seven hundred fifty dollars. Nursery
Randall's Island weekly outlay five hundred seventy seven dollars, yearly
outlay thirty thousand dollars. Police and judiciary expenses. Proportion of
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aggregate weekly outlay four thousand dollars yearly outlay two hundred
thousand dollars. Total weekly outlay one hundred thirty five thousand,
four hundred sixty seven dollars. Total yearly outlay seven million,
thirty six thousand, seventy five dollars. The footings of the
columns show the total expense to be weekly one hundred
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thirty five thousand, four hundred sixty seven dollars yearly seven million,
thirty six thousand, seventy five dollars, over seven millions of dollars,
or nearly as much as the annual municipal expenditure of
New York City. Comment upon these figures would be superfluous.
They present the monetary effects of prostitution in a convincing
point of view, and will prepare the reader for an
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intentive perusal of the suggested remedial measures which form the
subject of the next chapter. The American mind is said
to be proverbially open to argument based upon dollars and cents,
without giving an unqualified assent to the proposition. We may
be permitted to hope that financial considerations, combined with the
claims of benevolence in humanity, the appeals of virtue and morality,
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the demands of public health, and the future physical well
being of the community at large, will exercise that influence
on the public mind which is necessary to the accomplishment
of any valuable practical result from the pre investigation. Before
leaving the subject of the extent of prostitution, it may
be appropriate to remark that it was considered advisable to
ascertain the prevalence of the vice in some of the
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leading cities of the United States, and in order to
do this effectually, a circular letter was addressed to the
mayors of Albany, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, Boston, Massachusetts, Brooklyn,
New York, Buffalo, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Hartford, Connecticut, Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee, Mobile, Alabama, Newark,
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New Jersey, New Haven, Connecticut, New Orleans, Louisiana, Norfolk, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Portland, Maine, Richmond, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia,
Saint Louis, Missouri, Washington District, Columbia. The names printed in
italics are those of cities from which replies were received.
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The circular forwarded was as follows copy, Mayor's Office, New
York City, September one, eighteen fifty six, to his honor,
the Mayor of the city of dear Sir. Below, you
will receive from doctor Sanger a note containing a few
questions concerning prostitution and prostitutes in your city, which I
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shall feel obliged if you will have the kindness to
answer very truly yours, Fernando Wood, Mayor New York City,
Dear Sir, During the past six months, with the aid
of his honor, Mayor Wood of this city and the
police force at his command, I have been collecting materials
for a report on prostitution as it exists in New
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York at the present time. I enclose you a list
of questions that have been asked all the women examined here.
Of course, I do not expect that you will or
can give answers to these questions from the prostitutes in
your city, but I would wish to have your replies
to the following queries. One how many houses of prostitution
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are there in your city? Two? How many houses of
assignation are there in your city? Three? How many public
prostitutes are there in your city? Four? How many private
prostitutes are there in your city? Five? How many kept
mistresses are there in your city? Six? What is the
present population of your city? Of course, these questions can
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be answered to you by your Chief of Police and
officers only as to the best of their knowledge, but
as a general thing, shrewd police officers will be able
to give correct answers to them. I do not wish names,
only the round numbers in each class. I shall do
myself the honor to forward you a copy of the
report when completed, and shall be glad to receive your
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replies to the above queries by the thirtieth of this month.
You will please direct your answer to yours respectfully, William W. Sanger,
Resident physician, Blackwell's Island and New York City. The following
are the replies received Buffalo, New York Copy, Mayor's Office, Buffalo,
October second, eighteen fifty six. Dear Sir, I received your
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circular of the first of September asking that certain questions
concerning houses of prostitution, prostitutes, et cetera might be answered.
I immediately directed our chief to collect the necessary information
through the police, and I have just received his report.
I here enclose the answers to show how far the
report can be relied on for accuracy. I hear copy
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from his report. The captains inform me that they experienced
much difficulty in their endeavors to make a correct report
in answer to the several questions proposed. They however, believe
that the returns so far, at least as the number
of houses and public prostitutes is concerned, are very near correct.
Any further information you may desire, I will cheerfully give
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so far as I am able. I am respectfully yours. F. P. Stevens,
Mayor Enclosure, Houses of prostitution eighty seven, Houses of assignation
thirty seven, Public prostitutes two hundred, seventy two private prostitutes
eighty one, Kept mistresses thirty one. Population seventy five thousand, Louisville, Kentucky,
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Copy Police Office, Louisville, Kentucky, December twenty sixth eighteen fifty six,
Honorable John Barber Mayer, Dear Sir, below, I give a
statement of such matters as called for by Doctor William W. Sanger,
Resident physician of Blackwell's Island, New York City, which I
think you will find correct, or as near as can
be arrived at from the facilities afforded, Hoping that it
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will prove satisfactory to the doctor, and that it will
many tales unfold. I remain respectfully yours, James Kirkpatrick, Chief
of Police. Houses of prostitution seventy nine, Houses of assignation
thirty nine public prostitutes, two hundred fourteen private prostitutes, ninety
three kept mistresses, sixty Population of city supposed to be
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seventy thousand. I am now preparing to take the census
for eighteen fifty seven Newark, New Jersey. Copy Newark, New Jersey,
October fourth, eighteen fifty six. William W. Sanger, m D.
Dear Sir, I cannot make any excuse for not answering
your letter of inquiry that will justify me. Yours of
September first was, unfortunately mislaid. Our population in eighteen fifty
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five was fifty five thousand by census. We have no
houses of ill fame in our city, none of assignation.
There are no public prostitutes. It may appear strange to
you that the above should be the case, but there
is good reason for it. From the best information that
I can get, there are perhaps fifty private prostitutes in
this city, composed of girls living at service or as seamstresses,
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but who conduct themselves so as not to be known.
Our city is so near to New York that as
soon as a girl turns out, she makes her way
to it, where associations and congenial amusement to make it
more agreeable. It is rather singular. But so soon as
it becomes known that a girl is loose, she is
marked and followed in the streets by half grown boys,
hooting at and really forcing her to leave town. Occasionally
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it is made known to the police that a couple
of girls stayed a night or two at some boarding house.
When they are arrested as vagrants or warned off, and
they are gone, New York being so much greater field
for them. They are the least of our troubles, truly
and respectfully. Years H. J. Poitneer, Mayor, New Haven, Connecticut, Copy,
New Haven, September eighteenth, eighteen fifty six, Doctor William M. Sanger,
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Dear Sir, herewith I hand you the report of our
Chief of Police and answer to your inquiries relative to
prostitution in this city, your obedient servant P. S. Galpin,
Mayor enclosure to his honor, the Mayor of the City
of New Haven. Sir, I have had the communication addressed
to you by William W. Sanger, Resident physician, Blackwell's Island,
New York, in regard to prostitutes and prostitution in the
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City of New have under consideration, and beg leave to
report that the answers to the questions propounded are given
in a general manner with near approximation to exactness, without
pretending to be minutely accurate. And to the first question, namely,
how many houses of prostitution are there in the city,
I answer that the number now known as such to
the police is ten, and that these are only such,
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some of them occasionally, and that none of them would
be so called in New York, being inconsiderable in poor,
out of the way houses, and conducted with great secrecy,
and are constantly liable to the penalties of a law
peculiar to Connecticut, which punishes reputation, rendering it impossible for
them to gain strength and become permanent. And to the
second inquiry how many houses of assignation are there in
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the city? I answer there are known to be six,
in others suspected, but these all are not such proper,
but are connected with some businesses as eating houses, hotels,
dance houses, et cetera. And to the third inquiry how
many public prostitutes are there in the city, there are
known by name ninety three, all well known. And to
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the fourth inquiry, how many private prostitutes are there in
the city. I answer that there are thirty, with many
married women, and indeed this class is mostly comprised of
married women. And to the fifth question, how many kept
mistresses are there in the city, the answer is that
number is not known, but is small, and no one
instance is certainly known to us. The population of the
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city is thirty two thousand, all which is respectfully submitted
John C. Haden, Chief of Police, City of New Haven,
Dated at New Haven, September sixteenth, eighteen fifty six, Norfolk, Virginia,
Copy Mayor's Office, Norfolk, Virginia, September fifteen, eighteen fifty six.
Dear Sir, yours of first instant was duly received, and
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in reply would state that I have endeavored to be
as accurate as possible in my replies to your several interrogatories, namely, one,
how many houses of prostigate tution in your city? Answer
about forty Two. How many houses of assignation in your city?
Answer none, as such, there being no places, so far
as I can learn, used as meeting places. Three, how
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many public prostitutes are there in your city? Answer about
one hundred and fifty four. How many private prostitutes are
there in your city? Answer about fifty five. How many
kept mistresses are there in your city? Answer about six
or eight six. What is the present population of your city?
Answer about eighteen thousand. I would, in connection with the above,
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state that about twenty five of the forty houses are
used almost exclusively by sailors and seafaring men, and are
sometimes improperly called sailor boarding houses, especially the most decent
of them. Any other information I can give you I
will most cheerfully do, should you desire any. I am
very respectfully yours. F. F. Ferguson, Mayor, City of Norfolk, Virginia. Two.
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Doctor William M. Sanger, Resident physician, Blackwell's Island, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Copy Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia,
September eighth, eighteen fifty six. Dear Sir, as near as
we can arrive at the facts, of course, no great
reliance can be placed on this general answer. The following
are the figures. One Houses of prostitution one hundred thirty
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two Houses of assignation fifty three, public prostitutes four hundred
seventy five, four private prostitutes one hundred five six, say,
six hundred thousand population. Our city has one hundred twenty
nine square miles of police jurisdiction and six hundred fifty
policemen besides officers. You will therefore make some allowances for
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the want of time, to enable me more fully to
state answers to your question. The answers given are from
estimates made by the lieutenants of police of their own districts, respectfully.
Richard Voe, Mayor of Philadelphia, to William W. Sanger, m d.
Resident physician, Blackwell's Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Copy, Mayor's Office, Pittsburgh,
September eighteen, eighteen fifty six. William W. Sanger, m D.
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Dear Sir, your favor of the first instinct came to
hand a few days ago, requesting answers to the following questions. One.
How many houses of prostitution are there in our city?
Answer nineteen two. How many houses of assignation? Answer nine three?
How many public prostitutes? Answer seventy seven four? How many
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private prostitutes? Answer thirty seven five. How many kept mistresses?
Answer sixteen six. What is your population? Answer seventy five thousand,
seven hundred and fifty The above is arrived at from
the personal knowledge of some of our police officers. No
doubt the number is much greater. At the last census,
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our population of the city proper was over sixty thousand.
The population at that time of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and the
suburbs of Pittsburgh was nearly one hundred thousand. Respectfully, your
obedient servant, William Bingham, Mayor, Savannah, Georgia, Copy Mayor's Office
of Savannah, Georgia, September eighteen, eighteen fifty six, William W. Sanger,
Resident physician, Blackwells Island, New York City. Dear Sir, in
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this city there are fifteen houses of prostitution, three assignation houses,
ninety three white and one hundred and five colored prostitutes.
In the winter season, the number is greatly increased by
supplies from New York City. I cannot answer what number
of private prostitutes or kept mistresses there are here. Our
present population is about twenty six thousand. Very truly, Yours,
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Edward C. Anderson, Mayor. These replies may be condensed as follows.
Buffalo reported by Mayor Stevens eighty seven houses of prostitution,
thirty seven houses of assignation two hundred seventy two public prostitutes,
eighty one private prostitutes, thirty one kept mistresses. Total of
abandoned women three hundred eighty four, population seventy five thousand.
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Louisville reported by Mayor Barber seventy nine house a prostitution,
thirty nine houses of assignation, two hundred fourteen public prostitutes,
ninety three private prostitutes, sixty kept mistresses. Total of abandoned
women three hundred sixty seven, population seventy thousand. Newark reported
by Mayor Poigner zero houses a prostitution, zero houses of assignation,
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zero public prostitutes, fifty private prostitutes, zero kept mistresses. Total
of abandoned women fifty, population fifty five thousand. New Haven
reported by Mayor Galpin ten houses of prostitution, six houses
of assignation, ninety three public prostitutes, thirty private prostitutes, zero
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kept mistresses. Total of abandoned women one hundred twenty three,
population thirty two thousand. Norfolk reported by Mayor Ferguson forty
houses of prostitution, zero houses of assignation, one hundred fifty
public prostitutes, fifty private prostitutes, eight kept mistresses. Total of
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abandoned women two hundred eight population eighteen thousand. Virginia reported
by Mayor Vos one hundred thirty houses of prostitution, fifty
houses of assignation, four hundred seventy five public prostitutes, zero
private prostitutes, one hundred five kept mistresses. Total of abandoned
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women five hundred eighty population six hundred thousand. Pittsburgh reported
by Mayor Bingham nineteen houses of prostitution, nine houses of assignation,
seventy seven public prostitutes, thirty seven private prostitutes, sixteen kept mistresses.
Total of abandoned women one hundred thirty population seventy five thousand,
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seven hundred fifty Savannah reported by Mayor Anderson fifteen houses
of prostitution, three houses of assignation, one hundred ninety eight
public prostitutes, zero, private prostitutes, zero kept mistresses. Total of
abandoned women one hundred ninety eight population twenty six thousand.
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It has already been stated on the authority of the
state census of eighteen fifty five that the adult male
population of New York City formed nearly one third of
the total inhabitants and the same rule may be applied
to these cities. To ascertain the comparative number of prostitutes
and their customers. The proportions stand as follows. New York
on the resident population of the city proper has one
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prostitute to every fifty men, but including the suburbs, one
prostitute to every sixty four men. Buffalo has one prostitute
to every sixty five men. Louisville has one prostitute to
every sixty four men. Newark has one prostitute to every
three hundred sixty six men. New Haven has one prostitute
to every eighty seven men. Norfolk has one prostitute to
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every twenty nine men. Philadelphia has one prostitute to every
three hundred forty four men. Pittsburgh has one prostitute to
every one hundred ninety two men. Savannah has one prostitute
to six every forty four men. It can scarcely be
doubted that the worthy mayors of Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh
have been misinformed as to the extent of the vice
in their respective cities. Respecting Newark, for instance, the writer
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was recently informed that prostitution was not so rare as
Mayor Poonier's letter would imply but that prostitutes and known
houses of prostitution were to be found scattered over the city,
and that the fact was notorious to nearly every resident.
This information was received from a gentleman himself, an inhabitant
of Newark. There is no doubt that much of the
vice of Newark finds a home in New York, as
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the mayor says, but it is equally certain that it
is not all expatriated. The mayor of Philadelphia is particularly
wide of the mark. There may not be as many
public prostitutes there as in New York, but it is
proverbial and is as widely known as is Philadelphia itself,
that its streets abound in houses of assignation and private
houses of prostitution. Pittsburgh is situated at the head of
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the navigation on the Ohio River, at the confluence of
the Alleghany and Monohoga Halam Rivers, both navigable. She has canals, railroads,
and large manufactories, and if closely examined, would probably show
a larger proportion of prostitutes than above reported. Norfolk is
the largest naval depot in this country, and its population
cannot be held responsible for all the prostitution within its limits.
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In both Norfolk and Savannah. We presume that the larger
portion of the abandoned women at the time the census
was taken were colored people, whose virtue is always at
a discount under the most favorable circumstances, into which a
seaport is always fatal. But another calculation may be made
upon the assumption that the males who have commerce with
prostitutes formerly one fourth of the population, and the proportions
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resulting from that are as follows. New York on the
resident population of the city proper has one prostitute to
every thirty men, but including the suburbs, one prostitute to
every fifty men. Buffalo has one prostitute to every forty
nine men. Louisville has one prostitute to every forty eight men.
Newark has one prostitute to every two hundred seventy five men.
New Haven has one prostitute to every sixty five men.
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Norfolk has one prostitute to every twenty three men. Philadelphia
has one prostitute to every two hundred fifty eight men.
Pittsburgh has one prostitute to every one hundred forty four men.
Savannah has one prostitute to every thirty three men. To
arrive in an average. We will omit the calculation of
the proportion of prostitutes to the population of New York
City proper it, having been shown already that the responsibility
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of much of it must rest upon the suburbs and
upon visitors, and also omit Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, because
the reports from those cities are palpably underrated. This done,
the mean of the two estimates stands thus New York
one prostitute to every fifty seven men, Buffalo one prostitute
to every fifty seven men, Louisville one prostitute to every
fifty six men, new Haven one prostitute to every seventy
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six men, Norfolk one prostitute to every twenty six men,
Savannah one prostitute to every thirty nine men. And the
mean of the whole is one prostitute to every fifty
two men. This mean may be fairly assumed as the
proportion existing in all the large cities of the Union,
and the farther assumption that man who visit houses a
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prostitution form one fourth of the total population, will give
a basis upon which the total number of the prostitutes
in the United States may be estimated with some accuracy.
The calculation cannot, of course be claimed as absolutely correct,
as that would be an impossibility, but is submitted as
a probability on which the reader can form his own conclusion.
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The population of the United States in eighteen fifty eight
was estimated by Professor de Box when preparing the compendium
of the census of eighteen fifty and his calculation at
that time was that by the present year it would
amount to twenty nine million, two hundred forty two thousand,
one hundred thirty nine persons, which may be taken in
round numbers twenty nine million. From this must be deducted
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three million, five hundred thousand slaves, which will leave the
free inhabitants twenty five million, five hundred thirds thousand, and
the proportion of adult males to this number is six million,
three hundred seventy five thousand. It may next be assumed
that one half of these men live in country places
or small cities where prostitution does not exist, the other
moiety being inhabitants of cities with a population of twenty
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thousand or upward. And upon the basis already proved, of
one prostitute to every fifty two men, the result would
be a total of sixty one thousand, two hundred ninety
eight prostitutes. The whole area of the United States is
two million, nine hundred thirty six thousand, one hundred sixty
six square miles, and if all the prostitutes therein were
equally divided over this surface, there would be one for
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every forty seven square miles. Or if they were walking
in continuous line thirty six inches from each other, they
would make a column nearly thirty five miles long. If
the inhabitants of large cities were only one third, the
number of prostitutes would be forty one thousand, fifty eight.
These suggestions are, of course, mere matters for consideration, and
are not given as definite facts. End of Section fifty seven.
Section fifty seven of the History of Prostitution. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by k hand The History of Prostitution by William Sanger,
Section fifty seven, Chapter thirty six, New York Extent, Effects
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and Cost of Prostitution, Part three. To ascertain the amount
expended for private medical assistance, it will be necessary to
recapitulate the outlay of the public institutions. Mentioned institutions Island
Hospital Blackwell's Island yearly outlay twenty two thousand, seven hundred
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fifty dollars weekly outlay four hundred thirty eight dollars. Bellevue Hospital,
New York yearly outlay seven thousand dollars weekly outlay one
hundred thirty five dollar dollars. Nursery Hospital Randall's Island yearly
outlay eight thousand, five hundred dollars weekly outlay one hundred
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sixty three dollars. Emigrants Hospital, Ward's Island yearly outlay seven thousand,
seventy five dollars weekly outlay one hundred thirty six dollars
City Hospital New York yearly outlay eight thousand, two hundred
sixty dollars weekly outlay one hundred fifty nine dollars. Dispensaries
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yearly outlay, seven hundred twenty eight dollars weekly outlay fourteen dollars.
King's County Hospital, Long Island, yearly outlay seven thousand, five
hundred thirty dollars weekly outlay one hundred forty five dollars.
Brooklyn City Hospital, Long Island, yearly outlay four thousand, six
hundred forty four dollars weekly outlay eighty nine dollars. Siemens Retreat,
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Staten Island yearly outlay ten thousand, five hundred forty dollars
weekly outlay two hundred three dollars. Total yearly outlay seventy
seven thousand, twenty seven dollars. Total weekly outlay one thousand,
four hundred eighty two dollars. These totals must be multiplied
by four, and the product will show the amount paid
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for private medical assistance as five thousand, nine hundred twenty
eight dollars weekly or three hundred eight thousand, one hundred
eight dollars yearly. This is calculated on too liberal a
scale for no one believes that an individual requiring professional
aid can obtain it so economically in private life as
in a public institution. Nor would even the fact that
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in the latter case the patients are boarded and supplied
with all necessaries more than counterbalance the sums which must
be paid for individual medical attendance. The desire not needlessly
to exaggerate facts which are sufficiently comprehensive without such a
procedure is the only reason that induces so low an estimate.
But there are yet other items of expenditure which must
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be noticed before the long array is completed. Foremost of
these is the cost of support of abandoned women in
the workhouse and penitentiary on Blackwell's Island. The proportion of
females committed to the workhouse during eighteen fifty seven was
three fifths of the total commitments. It is not asserted
that all these were prostitutes, but it is certain that
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the larger part were unchased, and for argument's sake, we
will take the ratio as too abandoned to one virtuous woman,
the latter representing the class whom poverty, sickness, or friendlessness
may have driven to accept a shelter in the institution.
The expenses of the workhouse for the year amounted to
seventy six thousand dollars, and the share of cost incurred
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on behalf of prostitutes would therefore be thirty thousand, four
hundred dollars per year or five hundred eighty five dollars
per week. The female sentenced to the penitentiary from courts
of criminal jurisdiction during eighteen fifty seven amount to twenty
seven percent of the tote total number incarcerated. It will
violate no probability to assume that all these women were prostitutes.
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There may be exceptions to the rule, but so rare
are they as not to invalidate the principle. The penitentiary
was supported during eighteen fifty seven at an outlay to
the taxpayers of nearly eighty nine thousand dollars, and the
proportion chargeable to prostitutes at the ratio given above is
twenty four thousand, thirty dollars per year or four hundred
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sixty two dollars per week. A farther portion of the
expenses of the workhouse and penitentiary might very plausibly be
included in the list, namely the share incurred by the
maintenance of those men who owe their imprisonment either to
crimes committed at the instigation of common women or for
the sake of supporting them, or to a course of
idleness and dissipation resulting from the companionship of prostitutes. To
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pursue this subject in all its minutia would lead to
the conclusion that nearly every male prisoner owes his confinement
less or more remotely to one or the other of
these causes, and hence it could be argued that all
the expenses of male imprisonment should be taken into this account.
On the other hand, such a course could be opposed
with the plea that crimes which send men to Blackwell's
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Island are only indirect results of the system under discussion,
and to recognize them would force the recognition of many
other indirect consequences daily occurring elsewhere. Strictly speaking, the position
is scarcely demonstrable enough to form an arithmetical calculation, but
its moral certainty is so far acknowledged as to make
it a serious matter of reflection. In connection with the
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attendant evils of prostitution. To resume, about fifty five percent
of the population of the almshouses Blackwell's Island are female.
Some of these are old, decrepit women whom it would
be impossible to consider as prostitutes. Others are virtuous women
whose poverty has driven them there. But many are broken
down prostitutes who have lost whatever of attraction they once possessed,
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and with ruined health and debilitated constitution, it is impossible
for them to exist even in the lowest brothels. They
make the Almshouse their last resting place, and there await
the final summons which shall close their career of sin
and misery. Yet another class in this institution is composed
of women with young children. Some claim to be respectable
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married women, while others are known as disreputable characters. But
the former have little to support their pretensions except to
their own assertion, and collateral testimony sometimes invalidates that it
is not an uncharitable conclusion that at least one half
of the female inmates of the Almshouse owe their dependence
upon charity to the prostitution. The support of the Almshouse
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in eighteen fifty seven costs the City of New York
sixty three thousand dollars, and the proportion resulting from prostitution
on the above data is fifteen thousand, seven hundred fifty
dollars per year or three hundred three dollars per week.
The children on Randall's Island may be classified according to
the rule already adopted in reference to disease in the
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nurse hospital there, namely, to assume that one half o
if not their existence, certainly their support from public funds
to causes that originated a vice. The nursery exclusive of
the hospital costs during last year sixty thousand dollars, one
half of which must, in accordance with the previous estimate,
be charged to prostitution, namely thirty thousand dollars per year
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or five hundred seventy seven dollars per week. The final
charge arises from the police and judiciary expenses of the
City of New York, of which it is believed that
ten percent is caused by prostitution and its concomitants crimes
and sufferings. The aggregate forms a large amount and will
be rather a surmise than an assertion. The maintenance of
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police officers and station houses, of police justices and their
court rooms of the City Judge and Recorder, with their
respective courts of the city and the district prisons, and
numerous contingent expenses cannot be less than two million dollars
per year. The percent chargeable to prostitution will therefore be
two hundred thousand dollars per year, or four thousand dollars
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per week. Thus much for preliminary explanations, it will now
be possible to present the reader with a tabular statement
of the weekly and yearly cost of the system of
prostitution existing in the metropolis of the New World. Those
who have followed us through this argument and noted the
facts upon which every calculation is based, will bear witness
that nothing has been exaggerated, that no dollar is debited
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to the vice without strong presumptive evidence to support such charge,
and that the endeavor has been throughout rather to underestimate
than exceed the bounds of strict probability. Upon this ground,
the attention of the public is earnestly requested to the
first exposition ever attempted of the amount paid by citizens
of and visitors to New York for illicit sexual gratification
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recapitulation expenditure, individual expenses paid to prostitutes. Weekly outlay sixty
thousand dollars yearly outlay three million, one hundred, twenty thousand
dollars spent for wine and liquor by visitors weekly outlay
forty thousand dollars yearly outlay two million, eighty thousand dollars
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paid by visitors to houses of assignation weekly outlay twelve thousand,
six hundred dollars. Yearly outlay six hundred fifty five thousand,
two hundred dollars spent for wine and liquor by visitors
to houses of assignation weekly outlay five thousand dollars. Yearly
outlay two hundred sixty thousand dollars spent in dancing saloons,
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liquor and large beer stores frequented by prostitutes and their friends.
Weekly outlay four thousand, five hundred thirty dollars. Yearly outlay
two hundred thirty five thousand, five hundred sixty dollars medical expenses.
Island Hospital, Blackwells, Island, weekly outlay four hundred thirty eight
dollars yearly outlay twenty two thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars.
(09:53):
Bellevue Hospital, New York, weekly outlay one hundred thirty five
dollars yearly outlay seven thousand dollars. Nursery Hospital Randall's Island
weekly outlay one hundred sixty three dollars. Yearly outlay eight thousand,
five hundred dollars. Emigrants Hospital, Ward's Island weekly outlay one
hundred thirty six dollars. Yearly outlay seven thousand, seventy five dollars.
(10:17):
New York City Hospital, New York weekly outlay one hundred
fifty nine dollars. Yearly outlay eight thousand, two hundred sixty dollars.
Dispensaries yearly outlay seven hundred twenty eight dollars. King's County Hospital,
Long Island weekly outlay one hundred forty five dollars. Yearly
outlay seven thousand, five hundred thirty dollars. Brooklyn City Hospital,
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Long Island weekly outlay eighty nine dollars. Yearly outlay four thousand,
six hundred forty four dollars. Siemens Retreat Staten Island weekly
outlay two hundred three dollars, yearly outlay ten thousand, five
hundred forty dollars. Private Medical Assistance weekly outlay five thousand,
nine hundred twenty eight dollars yearly outlay three hundred eight thousand,
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one hundred eight dollars. Vagrancy and pauper expenses, Workhouse Blackwell's
Island weekly outlay five hundred eighty five dollars yearly outlay
thirty thousand, four hundred dollars. Penitentiary Blackwell's Island weekly outlay
four hundred sixty two dollars yearly outlay twenty four thousand,
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thirty dollars. Almshouse Blackwell's Island weekly outlay three hundred three
dollars yearly outlay fifteen thousand, seven hundred fifty dollars. Nursery
Randall's Island weekly outlay five hundred seventy seven dollars, yearly
outlay thirty thousand dollars. Police and judiciary expenses. Proportion of
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aggregate weekly outlay four thousand dollars yearly outlay two hundred
thousand dollars. Total weekly outlay one hundred thirty five thousand,
four hundred sixty seven dollars. Total yearly outlay seven million,
thirty six thousand, seventy five dollars. The footings of the
columns show the total expense to be weekly one hundred
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thirty five thousand, four hundred sixty seven dollars yearly seven million,
thirty six thousand, seventy five dollars, over seven millions of dollars,
or nearly as much as the annual municipal expenditure of
New York City. Comment upon these figures would be superfluous.
They present the monetary effects of prostitution in a convincing
point of view, and will prepare the reader for an
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intentive perusal of the suggested remedial measures which form the
subject of the next chapter. The American mind is said
to be proverbially open to argument based upon dollars and cents,
without giving an unqualified assent to the proposition. We may
be permitted to hope that financial considerations, combined with the
claims of benevolence in humanity, the appeals of virtue and morality,
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the demands of public health, and the future physical well
being of the community at large, will exercise that influence
on the public mind which is necessary to the accomplishment
of any valuable practical result from the pre investigation. Before
leaving the subject of the extent of prostitution, it may
be appropriate to remark that it was considered advisable to
ascertain the prevalence of the vice in some of the
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leading cities of the United States, and in order to
do this effectually, a circular letter was addressed to the
mayors of Albany, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, Boston, Massachusetts, Brooklyn,
New York, Buffalo, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Hartford, Connecticut, Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee, Mobile, Alabama, Newark,
(13:38):
New Jersey, New Haven, Connecticut, New Orleans, Louisiana, Norfolk, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Portland, Maine, Richmond, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia,
Saint Louis, Missouri, Washington District, Columbia. The names printed in
italics are those of cities from which replies were received.
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The circular forwarded was as follows copy, Mayor's Office, New
York City, September one, eighteen fifty six, to his honor,
the Mayor of the city of dear Sir. Below, you
will receive from doctor Sanger a note containing a few
questions concerning prostitution and prostitutes in your city, which I
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shall feel obliged if you will have the kindness to
answer very truly yours, Fernando Wood, Mayor New York City,
Dear Sir, During the past six months, with the aid
of his honor, Mayor Wood of this city and the
police force at his command, I have been collecting materials
for a report on prostitution as it exists in New
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York at the present time. I enclose you a list
of questions that have been asked all the women examined here.
Of course, I do not expect that you will or
can give answers to these questions from the prostitutes in
your city, but I would wish to have your replies
to the following queries. One how many houses of prostitution
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are there in your city? Two? How many houses of
assignation are there in your city? Three? How many public
prostitutes are there in your city? Four? How many private
prostitutes are there in your city? Five? How many kept
mistresses are there in your city? Six? What is the
present population of your city? Of course, these questions can
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be answered to you by your Chief of Police and
officers only as to the best of their knowledge, but
as a general thing, shrewd police officers will be able
to give correct answers to them. I do not wish names,
only the round numbers in each class. I shall do
myself the honor to forward you a copy of the
report when completed, and shall be glad to receive your
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replies to the above queries by the thirtieth of this month.
You will please direct your answer to yours respectfully, William W. Sanger,
Resident physician, Blackwell's Island and New York City. The following
are the replies received Buffalo, New York Copy, Mayor's Office, Buffalo,
October second, eighteen fifty six. Dear Sir, I received your
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circular of the first of September asking that certain questions
concerning houses of prostitution, prostitutes, et cetera might be answered.
I immediately directed our chief to collect the necessary information
through the police, and I have just received his report.
I here enclose the answers to show how far the
report can be relied on for accuracy. I hear copy
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from his report. The captains inform me that they experienced
much difficulty in their endeavors to make a correct report
in answer to the several questions proposed. They however, believe
that the returns so far, at least as the number
of houses and public prostitutes is concerned, are very near correct.
Any further information you may desire, I will cheerfully give
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so far as I am able. I am respectfully yours. F. P. Stevens,
Mayor Enclosure, Houses of prostitution eighty seven, Houses of assignation
thirty seven, Public prostitutes two hundred, seventy two private prostitutes
eighty one, Kept mistresses thirty one. Population seventy five thousand, Louisville, Kentucky,
(17:18):
Copy Police Office, Louisville, Kentucky, December twenty sixth eighteen fifty six,
Honorable John Barber Mayer, Dear Sir, below, I give a
statement of such matters as called for by Doctor William W. Sanger,
Resident physician of Blackwell's Island, New York City, which I
think you will find correct, or as near as can
be arrived at from the facilities afforded, Hoping that it
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will prove satisfactory to the doctor, and that it will
many tales unfold. I remain respectfully yours, James Kirkpatrick, Chief
of Police. Houses of prostitution seventy nine, Houses of assignation
thirty nine public prostitutes, two hundred fourteen private prostitutes, ninety
three kept mistresses, sixty Population of city supposed to be
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seventy thousand. I am now preparing to take the census
for eighteen fifty seven Newark, New Jersey. Copy Newark, New Jersey,
October fourth, eighteen fifty six. William W. Sanger, m D.
Dear Sir, I cannot make any excuse for not answering
your letter of inquiry that will justify me. Yours of
September first was, unfortunately mislaid. Our population in eighteen fifty
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five was fifty five thousand by census. We have no
houses of ill fame in our city, none of assignation.
There are no public prostitutes. It may appear strange to
you that the above should be the case, but there
is good reason for it. From the best information that
I can get, there are perhaps fifty private prostitutes in
this city, composed of girls living at service or as seamstresses,
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but who conduct themselves so as not to be known.
Our city is so near to New York that as
soon as a girl turns out, she makes her way
to it, where associations and congenial amusement to make it
more agreeable. It is rather singular. But so soon as
it becomes known that a girl is loose, she is
marked and followed in the streets by half grown boys,
hooting at and really forcing her to leave town. Occasionally
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it is made known to the police that a couple
of girls stayed a night or two at some boarding house.
When they are arrested as vagrants or warned off, and
they are gone, New York being so much greater field
for them. They are the least of our troubles, truly
and respectfully. Years H. J. Poitneer, Mayor, New Haven, Connecticut, Copy,
New Haven, September eighteenth, eighteen fifty six, Doctor William M. Sanger,
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Dear Sir, herewith I hand you the report of our
Chief of Police and answer to your inquiries relative to
prostitution in this city, your obedient servant P. S. Galpin,
Mayor enclosure to his honor, the Mayor of the City
of New Haven. Sir, I have had the communication addressed
to you by William W. Sanger, Resident physician, Blackwell's Island,
New York, in regard to prostitutes and prostitution in the
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City of New have under consideration, and beg leave to
report that the answers to the questions propounded are given
in a general manner with near approximation to exactness, without
pretending to be minutely accurate. And to the first question, namely,
how many houses of prostitution are there in the city,
I answer that the number now known as such to
the police is ten, and that these are only such,
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some of them occasionally, and that none of them would
be so called in New York, being inconsiderable in poor,
out of the way houses, and conducted with great secrecy,
and are constantly liable to the penalties of a law
peculiar to Connecticut, which punishes reputation, rendering it impossible for
them to gain strength and become permanent. And to the
second inquiry how many houses of assignation are there in
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the city? I answer there are known to be six,
in others suspected, but these all are not such proper,
but are connected with some businesses as eating houses, hotels,
dance houses, et cetera. And to the third inquiry how
many public prostitutes are there in the city, there are
known by name ninety three, all well known. And to
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the fourth inquiry, how many private prostitutes are there in
the city. I answer that there are thirty, with many
married women, and indeed this class is mostly comprised of
married women. And to the fifth question, how many kept
mistresses are there in the city, the answer is that
number is not known, but is small, and no one
instance is certainly known to us. The population of the
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city is thirty two thousand, all which is respectfully submitted
John C. Haden, Chief of Police, City of New Haven,
Dated at New Haven, September sixteenth, eighteen fifty six, Norfolk, Virginia,
Copy Mayor's Office, Norfolk, Virginia, September fifteen, eighteen fifty six.
Dear Sir, yours of first instant was duly received, and
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in reply would state that I have endeavored to be
as accurate as possible in my replies to your several interrogatories, namely, one,
how many houses of prostigate tution in your city? Answer
about forty Two. How many houses of assignation in your city?
Answer none, as such, there being no places, so far
as I can learn, used as meeting places. Three, how
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many public prostitutes are there in your city? Answer about
one hundred and fifty four. How many private prostitutes are
there in your city? Answer about fifty five. How many
kept mistresses are there in your city? Answer about six
or eight six. What is the present population of your city?
Answer about eighteen thousand. I would, in connection with the above,
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state that about twenty five of the forty houses are
used almost exclusively by sailors and seafaring men, and are
sometimes improperly called sailor boarding houses, especially the most decent
of them. Any other information I can give you I
will most cheerfully do, should you desire any. I am
very respectfully yours. F. F. Ferguson, Mayor, City of Norfolk, Virginia. Two.
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Doctor William M. Sanger, Resident physician, Blackwell's Island, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Copy Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia,
September eighth, eighteen fifty six. Dear Sir, as near as
we can arrive at the facts, of course, no great
reliance can be placed on this general answer. The following
are the figures. One Houses of prostitution one hundred thirty
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two Houses of assignation fifty three, public prostitutes four hundred
seventy five, four private prostitutes one hundred five six, say,
six hundred thousand population. Our city has one hundred twenty
nine square miles of police jurisdiction and six hundred fifty
policemen besides officers. You will therefore make some allowances for
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the want of time, to enable me more fully to
state answers to your question. The answers given are from
estimates made by the lieutenants of police of their own districts, respectfully.
Richard Voe, Mayor of Philadelphia, to William W. Sanger, m d.
Resident physician, Blackwell's Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Copy, Mayor's Office, Pittsburgh,
September eighteen, eighteen fifty six. William W. Sanger, m D.
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Dear Sir, your favor of the first instinct came to
hand a few days ago, requesting answers to the following questions. One.
How many houses of prostitution are there in our city?
Answer nineteen two. How many houses of assignation? Answer nine three?
How many public prostitutes? Answer seventy seven four? How many
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private prostitutes? Answer thirty seven five. How many kept mistresses?
Answer sixteen six. What is your population? Answer seventy five thousand,
seven hundred and fifty The above is arrived at from
the personal knowledge of some of our police officers. No
doubt the number is much greater. At the last census,
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our population of the city proper was over sixty thousand.
The population at that time of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and the
suburbs of Pittsburgh was nearly one hundred thousand. Respectfully, your
obedient servant, William Bingham, Mayor, Savannah, Georgia, Copy Mayor's Office
of Savannah, Georgia, September eighteen, eighteen fifty six, William W. Sanger,
Resident physician, Blackwells Island, New York City. Dear Sir, in
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this city there are fifteen houses of prostitution, three assignation houses,
ninety three white and one hundred and five colored prostitutes.
In the winter season, the number is greatly increased by
supplies from New York City. I cannot answer what number
of private prostitutes or kept mistresses there are here. Our
present population is about twenty six thousand. Very truly, Yours,
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Edward C. Anderson, Mayor. These replies may be condensed as follows.
Buffalo reported by Mayor Stevens eighty seven houses of prostitution,
thirty seven houses of assignation two hundred seventy two public prostitutes,
eighty one private prostitutes, thirty one kept mistresses. Total of
abandoned women three hundred eighty four, population seventy five thousand.
(25:56):
Louisville reported by Mayor Barber seventy nine house a prostitution,
thirty nine houses of assignation, two hundred fourteen public prostitutes,
ninety three private prostitutes, sixty kept mistresses. Total of abandoned
women three hundred sixty seven, population seventy thousand. Newark reported
by Mayor Poigner zero houses a prostitution, zero houses of assignation,
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zero public prostitutes, fifty private prostitutes, zero kept mistresses. Total
of abandoned women fifty, population fifty five thousand. New Haven
reported by Mayor Galpin ten houses of prostitution, six houses
of assignation, ninety three public prostitutes, thirty private prostitutes, zero
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kept mistresses. Total of abandoned women one hundred twenty three,
population thirty two thousand. Norfolk reported by Mayor Ferguson forty
houses of prostitution, zero houses of assignation, one hundred fifty
public prostitutes, fifty private prostitutes, eight kept mistresses. Total of
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abandoned women two hundred eight population eighteen thousand. Virginia reported
by Mayor Vos one hundred thirty houses of prostitution, fifty
houses of assignation, four hundred seventy five public prostitutes, zero
private prostitutes, one hundred five kept mistresses. Total of abandoned
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women five hundred eighty population six hundred thousand. Pittsburgh reported
by Mayor Bingham nineteen houses of prostitution, nine houses of assignation,
seventy seven public prostitutes, thirty seven private prostitutes, sixteen kept mistresses.
Total of abandoned women one hundred thirty population seventy five thousand,
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seven hundred fifty Savannah reported by Mayor Anderson fifteen houses
of prostitution, three houses of assignation, one hundred ninety eight
public prostitutes, zero, private prostitutes, zero kept mistresses. Total of
abandoned women one hundred ninety eight population twenty six thousand.
(28:06):
It has already been stated on the authority of the
state census of eighteen fifty five that the adult male
population of New York City formed nearly one third of
the total inhabitants and the same rule may be applied
to these cities. To ascertain the comparative number of prostitutes
and their customers. The proportions stand as follows. New York
on the resident population of the city proper has one
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prostitute to every fifty men, but including the suburbs, one
prostitute to every sixty four men. Buffalo has one prostitute
to every sixty five men. Louisville has one prostitute to
every sixty four men. Newark has one prostitute to every
three hundred sixty six men. New Haven has one prostitute
to every eighty seven men. Norfolk has one prostitute to
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every twenty nine men. Philadelphia has one prostitute to every
three hundred forty four men. Pittsburgh has one prostitute to
every one hundred ninety two men. Savannah has one prostitute
to six every forty four men. It can scarcely be
doubted that the worthy mayors of Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh
have been misinformed as to the extent of the vice
in their respective cities. Respecting Newark, for instance, the writer
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was recently informed that prostitution was not so rare as
Mayor Poonier's letter would imply but that prostitutes and known
houses of prostitution were to be found scattered over the city,
and that the fact was notorious to nearly every resident.
This information was received from a gentleman himself, an inhabitant
of Newark. There is no doubt that much of the
vice of Newark finds a home in New York, as
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the mayor says, but it is equally certain that it
is not all expatriated. The mayor of Philadelphia is particularly
wide of the mark. There may not be as many
public prostitutes there as in New York, but it is
proverbial and is as widely known as is Philadelphia itself,
that its streets abound in houses of assignation and private
houses of prostitution. Pittsburgh is situated at the head of
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the navigation on the Ohio River, at the confluence of
the Alleghany and Monohoga Halam Rivers, both navigable. She has canals, railroads,
and large manufactories, and if closely examined, would probably show
a larger proportion of prostitutes than above reported. Norfolk is
the largest naval depot in this country, and its population
cannot be held responsible for all the prostitution within its limits.
(30:20):
In both Norfolk and Savannah. We presume that the larger
portion of the abandoned women at the time the census
was taken were colored people, whose virtue is always at
a discount under the most favorable circumstances, into which a
seaport is always fatal. But another calculation may be made
upon the assumption that the males who have commerce with
prostitutes formerly one fourth of the population, and the proportions
(30:43):
resulting from that are as follows. New York on the
resident population of the city proper has one prostitute to
every thirty men, but including the suburbs, one prostitute to
every fifty men. Buffalo has one prostitute to every forty
nine men. Louisville has one prostitute to every forty eight men.
Newark has one prostitute to every two hundred seventy five men.
New Haven has one prostitute to every sixty five men.
(31:05):
Norfolk has one prostitute to every twenty three men. Philadelphia
has one prostitute to every two hundred fifty eight men.
Pittsburgh has one prostitute to every one hundred forty four men.
Savannah has one prostitute to every thirty three men. To
arrive in an average. We will omit the calculation of
the proportion of prostitutes to the population of New York
City proper it, having been shown already that the responsibility
(31:28):
of much of it must rest upon the suburbs and
upon visitors, and also omit Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, because
the reports from those cities are palpably underrated. This done,
the mean of the two estimates stands thus New York
one prostitute to every fifty seven men, Buffalo one prostitute
to every fifty seven men, Louisville one prostitute to every
fifty six men, new Haven one prostitute to every seventy
(31:51):
six men, Norfolk one prostitute to every twenty six men,
Savannah one prostitute to every thirty nine men. And the
mean of the whole is one prostitute to every fifty
two men. This mean may be fairly assumed as the
proportion existing in all the large cities of the Union,
and the farther assumption that man who visit houses a
(32:11):
prostitution form one fourth of the total population, will give
a basis upon which the total number of the prostitutes
in the United States may be estimated with some accuracy.
The calculation cannot, of course be claimed as absolutely correct,
as that would be an impossibility, but is submitted as
a probability on which the reader can form his own conclusion.
(32:32):
The population of the United States in eighteen fifty eight
was estimated by Professor de Box when preparing the compendium
of the census of eighteen fifty and his calculation at
that time was that by the present year it would
amount to twenty nine million, two hundred forty two thousand,
one hundred thirty nine persons, which may be taken in
round numbers twenty nine million. From this must be deducted
(32:54):
three million, five hundred thousand slaves, which will leave the
free inhabitants twenty five million, five hundred thirds thousand, and
the proportion of adult males to this number is six million,
three hundred seventy five thousand. It may next be assumed
that one half of these men live in country places
or small cities where prostitution does not exist, the other
moiety being inhabitants of cities with a population of twenty
(33:15):
thousand or upward. And upon the basis already proved, of
one prostitute to every fifty two men, the result would
be a total of sixty one thousand, two hundred ninety
eight prostitutes. The whole area of the United States is
two million, nine hundred thirty six thousand, one hundred sixty
six square miles, and if all the prostitutes therein were
equally divided over this surface, there would be one for
(33:36):
every forty seven square miles. Or if they were walking
in continuous line thirty six inches from each other, they
would make a column nearly thirty five miles long. If
the inhabitants of large cities were only one third, the
number of prostitutes would be forty one thousand, fifty eight.
These suggestions are, of course, mere matters for consideration, and
are not given as definite facts. End of Section fifty seven.
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