Atlanta Constitution
Georgia, U.S.A.
16 October 1888
Women Growing Cautious
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
The effect of the Whitechapel murders will be to render the promenading of the streets of
large cities late at night by women of a certain sort less safe and less common. That some
good may thus come out of this horribly ghoulish affair is possible, as out of all other
horrors and evils. Civilization is enduring a phase of barbarism in tolerating this public
advertisement of shame, but so far has been unable to permanently check it or to prevent
it. It is more than probable that when the fiend or fiends are discovered they will be
found to be of the class that has become maniacal and irresponsible by vulgar abuse and
shameless habits. Exactly what power higher civilization can exercise to prevent moral
waste is yet to be determined. But, plainly, we have not yet reached a finality in the
morals of our higher civilization.
