Part 22 (1/2)

”1. That the corruption of manners in Berlin, and in the parts of Berlin complained of, was not more extreme than in other great cities of Germany, and in like places.

”2. That in the limitation of the ineradicable vice of prost.i.tution by her police regulations, Berlin had greatly the advantage of Vienna; for in 1840, Berlin (including the garrison) had a population of 350,000 souls, among whom there was, of course, a very large number of unmarried men. That the syphilitic cases in the Charite had been in

1838, men 569 Women 634 Total 1209 1839, ” 695 ” 738 ” 1433 1840, ” 704 ” 757 ” 1461

a.s.suming that one third of the venereal cases in Berlin were treated privately, this gives an average of 1 in 450, or in every four hundred and fifty men there is one syphilitic subject, whereas M.

Parent-Duchatelet's calculation for Vienna is 1 in every 250.”[266]

The same report continues:

”Every official will bear out my a.s.sertion that the number of brothels is in inverse proportion to illicit prost.i.tution; that is, the fewer of the former, the more of the latter, and the greater the difficulty of dealing with them, and preventing syphilis.”

In 1841 another memorial was presented, with further complaints against the same houses in the Konigsmauer. This was referred to the police authorities with the brief injunction, ”Make an end of the nuisances about which there are so many complaints.”

The _Schulkollegium_ of the province of Brandenburg now joined their influence to swell the public outcry that the few houses of prost.i.tution on the Konigsmauer were hurtful to public morals, and a bad example to youth, and, on the ground of interest in their students and pupils, demanded that they be closed. The police, who had previously taken every precaution against a violation of public decency, now deputed a special inspector to give his personal attention to the locality. He reported there was no valid ground of complaint as to the outward conduct of the inhabitants, or the internal management of the houses. Thus satisfied as to the nature of the opposition, the police treated the college officials somewhat cavalierly, and recommended them to prohibit their students visiting such an out-of-the-way place: a very sensible piece of advice, and the best that could have been given under the circ.u.mstances.

According to Dr. Behrend (who has written on Prost.i.tution in Berlin), the leading spirits of this agitation were a clergyman, and a distiller who had a brewery and spirit-store in the vicinity of the Konigsmauer. The clergyman proceeded upon moral and religious grounds, and led the crusade against brothels as a public disgrace, unworthy a Christian nation. We do not learn what line of argument the distiller adopted, or whether the prohibition of liquor in houses of prost.i.tution influenced his zeal. These agitators applied to the police with a succession of general complaints as to the luxury of the houses, the gains of the women, the bad example to the young, and other topics of a similar nature. They met with but scant favor; however, they were a.s.sured that every possible means should be used to keep the offenders within the bounds of existing rules.

The memorialists then carried their grievances to various influential people, and at length to Count Arnim, the Minister of the Interior, to whom a pet.i.tion was presented, praying the entire suppression of all tolerated brothels. This pet.i.tion contained all the allegations and arguments which could possibly be advanced against the places in question, augmented by much rhetorical flourish about the degradation of royal officers; the desecration of the baptismal register produced by prost.i.tutes at the time of inscription; the insult to majesty in allowing brothels to exist in a street called Konigsmauer, and many similarly weighty points. The practical knowledge of the police as to the effect of registration in checking more baneful excesses was theoretically disputed; the propositions on which the toleration system was based were denied; the defense of the plan by those cognizant of its working was entirely ruled out; so that, to a person unacquainted with both sides of the question, a sufficient _ex parte_ case was presented.

The ministerial reply was favorable, but not conclusive; it was to the effect that,

”1. The number of brothels is to be reduced one half, which are to be removed beyond the city walls to the most retired position possible, where annoyance to the neighbors is not to be feared.

”2. For the control of those remaining, patrols of gens d'armes are to be kept afoot, and relieved six times a day.

”3. Every third breach of the regulations, whether in small or great matters, will be followed by the closing of the house.

”Should these orders not be sufficient, the police are empowered to close all the houses, for it must be understood that brothels are not licensed, but only tolerated as necessity requires, and care for public decency permits.”

The police authorities foresaw difficulties in the details of these proceedings, and asked for more explicit instructions, which were supplied. In the second communication was this remarkable pa.s.sage:

”Should a diminution in the number of brothels take place, and thereby the number of common prost.i.tutes be affected, we shall then learn by experience whether consequences injurious to public morality and order ensue, and the decision of the main question can then be made with certainty, whether we can not advance to the entire abolition of brothels.”

In following the prescribed course, and overthrowing an established system in order to furnish ministerial ”experience” of the trouble it would cause, the police inst.i.tuted a series of inquiries, and embodied the result in a report to the Minister of the Interior, dated July, 1844, which shows that there were

26 brothels, containing women 287 Registered private prost.i.tutes 18 --- Total 305

The amount received and disbursed on account of the healing fund was also reported in thalers, thus:

1841. Received 3384

Disbursed 1027 1842. ” 3393

” 861 1843. ” 3365

” 689

It concludes with the opinion entertained by the police:

”As for the influence which the extinction of brothels may have upon the morals, safety, and health of society, the police authorities think themselves obliged, as before, to declare against the expediency of the proceeding. What should be done in case this course should be adopted is a question that requires much consideration. Meanwhile, the police are of opinion it would be highly objectionable to close the brothels before other measures are prepared in reference to prost.i.tution.”

No such measures were prepared. The king would hear no farther argument upon the matter; and, by positive ”royal command,” the brothels were closed and registered prost.i.tution stopped, December 31, 1845. Berlin became (nominally) as virtuous as an edict from the throne could make it.