Among the prostitutes of Japan, and in most of the cities of Southern Europe, the women do not so markedly show forth this characteristic expression of countenance, because they have a higher standing in the social scale, and not infrequently marry.
Hope, and a certain favorable recognition of their services, keep alive in them some of the attributes of women.
The Japanese men are said to be not at all averse to marrying a woman after she has lived for a year or so in a tea-house {tsiaya) as a prostitute; but then the women in that country seem to be of no account except as mere chattels, and their standing cannot be greatly lowered, for they have little.
But the Anglo Saxon harlot can rarely hide the trademark of her calling, which is stamped upon her face and gait and deportment.
Employment is not readily secured by such women, though most of them could undoubtedly abandon their lives of shame if they were treated with ordinary consideration.
Candor compels us to say, however, that a large number of these women are influenced by their vanity and love of fine apparel to continue in infamous idleness rather than accept menial positions with really hard work and small pay.
An ignorant prostitute, unfit for anything but labor, can dress expensively and surround herself with comforts such as ladies have, all without effort or any equipment of education.
Thus a large number of harlots are unquestionably so from choice, and prefer a continuance of that life to hard work and small pay.
Such are obviously "lost women" after being started on the downward path they elect to continue in this degraded calling. However, scores of women who might be considered "lost" are readily restored to decency if they come under the influence of friendly help.
Many of these women, after age has rapidly crept on and their charms have faded, become keepers of brothels themselves, or set up that obnoxious modern innovation so widely advertised in the newspapers as " Massage Parlors," which are nothing but another variety of bawdy houses adapted to suit another kind of sexual perverts.
Not a few women are kept mistresses of rich men and illicitly occupy the places of wives, though entailing greater expense than would suffice to keep a respectable family in comfort. One cannot help wondering what a man can think of himself for keeping down a human being in such
infamy of slavery and in such cruelly hopeless and relentless disgrace, when his money and his so called "love" might so much better be expended in the achievement of her reformation. With a little assistance and sympathy many an erring woman could unquestionably be saved; and the contrast between pushing a tender, weakly, and easily persuaded girl down further and further in the mire, and of lifting her up by the manly strength of real love, is as great as what we mean by the difference between Heaven and Hell.
Some of them are perhaps too deeply wounded by curses, disease, drink and despair to be saved; but an upright man would not remain in the same class with those who contribute to their ruin, but rather make the attempt to discountenance such traffic and to save them.
These prostitutes are indeed outcasts the law in the State of Missouri even going so far as to say that their testimony cannot be accepted, while further
saying that "such character in a man does not in like manner affect his character for veracity".