Of Ngrams and Ontario Laws

Titanic Fashion. A 1910 cover of the Delineator.  Even “good girls” liked luxury.

Two thirds of Canadians believe brothels should be legal, according to a very recent Reid poll, conducted after a top court in Ontario ‘swept aside’ (Ottawa Citizen) their anti-prostitution laws, deeming them unconstitutional. What? Ontario the Good?

According to this poll, older folk are more inclined to favour legalizing brothels. (According to the National Post article, this is ‘counter-intuitive.’ Many more men than women are in favour. (That’s not so counter-intuitive, is it?)

Years ago, when I was in college, a male friend of mine suggested prostitution should be legalized (to protect the prostitute from harm and the client from STD’s) and I didn’t agree. I remember my argument, that if they legalized it, soon they’ll be advertising for women to enter to the profession. (Sort of what’s happened with lotteries.) Back then I believed, as I still do, that there was all kinds of prostitution. The kind I deplored the most: where average women shopped around for the richest husband. To me that was no different than spreading your legs for 5.00.

Well, I sure have gained perspective, if only of the historical and theoretical kind. I’ve become an historical writer. My story Threshold Girl (available here on pdf for FREE)is about a college girl, Flora Nicholson, in 1910, a nice Presbyterian Girl. Flora had two older sisters and I learned through research that every aspect of their PURE and PROPER lives was informed by the Social Evil, that would be prostitution.

For instance, these girls were teachers in the city and as if teaching 50 kids wasn’t hard enough, it was next to impossible for a young woman to find a place to live. They had to find a respectable boarding house and they had to do this through connections. Women could not live alone (brothel!). Boarding house matrons had to be careful, lest they be accused of running a bawdy house. All it would take is one of their boarders to have a man in their room.

(But Marion Nicholson, fed up with being bossed around at 26 by her boarding house matron, actually did manage to rent a house for herself, on Hutchison, Flora and two friends, in 1913. It was an ill fated experiment.)

Ngram. The term “social evil” referring to prostitution peaked in the 1910 decade.

Indeed in 1910, Proper young women  walking in the street did not stop, even to talk to a good friend, male or female. That would make them look like hookers.

My story Milk and Water is about City Hall Politics in Montreal in 1927 and has my grandfather, Jules Crepeau, as a main character. He was Director of City Services.

Brothels, or ‘disorderly’ houses, as they are called, figure largely.

In 1921, I believe, a Dr. Atherton, social activist, described the sorry state of some Montreal prostitutes in a speech to the Canadian Club. He especially described their drug addictions- and from his informed medical point of view, ie as a ‘man of science’ and not a moralizer. This set off a wave of indignation among the beau monde. A Group of 16 (Social Activists) was set up and they petitioned City Hall to set up an Inquiry into the Police, who, they believed, were looking the other way or even profiting from such activity.

This inquiry took place in 1924. It was called the Coderre Commission and included 100s of witnesses. In his final 10,000 page report in 1925, Juge Coderre specifically fingered my grandfather for iffy behavior. But not with respect to brothels, with respect to motion picture houses. You see, ALL THE (perceived) VICES got all mixed up during the commission: drinking, gambling, prostitution. It came down to this, I think: ALL VICE hurts our children, especially our precious female children.

In his report Coderre decried the de Bullion Street prostitute, the bedraggled drug-addled one – as well as the high price courtesan ‘who dined in Princely Houses’ as he put it. All the same to him. The poor prostitute was a warning to all parents, of what might happen to their kids should procurers get a hold of them. (No one really cared about the children of the poor. They still don’t.)

The rich courtesans, well, they were a bigger danger. They broke through class lines. How dare they?

These women fell into prostitution due to their love of luxury, Coderre claimed.  This was a still common belief among morality types: but that idea got swept away with the new consumerism, where women’s vanity began propelling the economy, so it became a ‘good’ thing.  This  was already starting to happen in 1910.

Anyway, this Coderre Report (as reported in the Montreal Star) made it to the US, and was read out as testimony during their 1926 hearings on Prohibition.

A W E Raney (former Ontario Attorney General) told the Senate Hearings that Quebeckers were different, they didn’t mind brothels. In fact, he said, Premier Tachereau would like to legalize and control gambling and prostitution as he does liquor. (Quebec had a Liquor Control Board in 1925.)

Oh, and one last comment on Prostitution. In WWI apparently, prostitution was a public service. Some poor girls went to the front and lay on the ground and serviced soldier after soldier (lined up in front) until worn out and someone replaced her. Homosexuality was deeply frowned upon, you see. So this was a way around that. Lesser of two evils.

Looks Like Paul, Jokes like Alfred E.

Me in New York.

Today, I’ve decided to get back in the game! I’m going to write an editorial piece in response to Prime Minister Harper’s comment yesterday on the current Canadian prostitution ‘debate.’ I put debate in quotes, because according to the PM, there is no debate: “Prostitution is bad.” Un point c’est tout, as my mother used to say to me when I was a young teen and I wanted her to let me wear high heels or lipstick or anything else sexy. Her famous line if I put on makeup was “You look like a girl from de Bullion street.”

Of course, she was just repeating what her mother had said to her, in the 1930′s.

This blog contains all the info: I just have to spend a day or two on the article, thinking my argument out and editing it. I wonder where I will pitch it.

I’m inspired by a meeting I had yesterday in Ottawa. I consulted a career coach to see what he (in this case) had to say about me getting some work in that city.

It was all very positive. It seems I’ve been doing everything wrong for years. (But that comes as no surprise.)

I know it’s all about connections. I know most jobs are not advertised. I know that your qualifications play only a part in getting hired. They have to like you and trust you.

Of course, I am older now. Many of my friends are retired or thinking glowingly of retirement.

But I hate the idea of giving up. I still want to contribute something to society, and more than ever when I read quotes from the PM saying “We believe that the prostitution trade is bad for society. That’s a strong view held by our government and I think by most Canadians,” Harper said.

He sounds like one of those spokespeople for the social purity movement 100 years ago!!

UN POINT C’EST TOUT!! I’m the boss of you and I tell you what YOU THINK.

Some democracy. No debate, no discussion on any issue, even those of critical importance like global warming. Is that why we women fought so hard to get the vote?

Anyway, job searches at 55 are kind of intimidating. I often joke to my friends, looking back on my twenties,”I could have made good money as a dominatrix.” I was 5 foot 10 and a half with a luxuriant head of hair and men were already scared of me, or at least the nice middle class ‘ boys’ in my class who I was attracted to.

But I was a classic ‘magical thinker” with a Pollyannaish view of life and I was expecting to find a soulmate somewhere, of course one with brains and looks and who was very very funny. Looks of Paul Newman, sense of humour of Alfred E Newman type of thing.

(Actually, I think Joanne Woodward once said she stayed with Paul because he made her laugh every day. Lucky Joanne.)

I thought if I and worked very hard I’d get ahead in a career. I didn’t think in real practical, political, strategic terms.

And I thought I could cram in career and family, no problem, wherever I lived.

Truth is, I am of two minds when I contemplate whether I would have liked beating on the likes of Mr. Harper for a living. (He joked that he has never met a dominatrix. What a wit, that man.) The thought kind of turns my stomach, but then there is an appeal, too.

Anyway, got to get to the editorial.

And You Think You Have Problems Now?

Eaton’s coats. 1913 catalogue. In the Nicholson girls’ price range..

Hmm. I decided to post a letter from the http://www.tighsolas.ca/ collection and annotate it. Look at the date. November 11, 1912. Armistice Day before there was a need for such a day. As I’ve explained in earlier installments, in 1912-13 Flora and Marion and cousin Marion Watters did a very bold thing: they moved into their own flat (with one other teacher, the daughter of an MNA.) It was hard to find a landlord who would rent to a group of girls, however respectable the would be tenants, however pristine their references, because of that ‘keeping a bawdy house’ business, an issue that is more than ever in the news today. Still controversial. But Marion Nicolson was one determined woman.

2401 Hutchison

November 11, 1912

Dear Norman,

You see by the heading that I am still in the city. Your letter did not reach me until Friday pm, as Edith sent it–so I felt a little worried as I always got them Thursday. I am so sorry about your coat. I gave the right add (address)to Lann McMorine. You better make some enquiries there about it. Might be at Cochran.(Margaret is worried for her husband out on the railroad, as usual. He moved from Cochrane to Hearst in Northern Ontario.) Edith said she told them it had not reached you. I am sure you will feel the cold without it and your flannels too. Marion and Flora won’t hear to me going home and E writes for me to stay as she is getting on all right – has one of the Pepplers (cousins living across the street) when she stays in the house. I will not stay more than another week. (It was impossible in those days for a group of working girls to run a home. You needed someone to cook at least and to wash up.) I do wish Edith was here and that we could be together for the winter as they ought to have someone here. Edith writes that Mr. Dyson said he bought thirty cords of wood and would supply our winter’s wood and would bring a cord any time and to let him know so don’t worry any more about wood. (Norman worried about his family keeping warm in Richmond.)She also sent me notice that taxes were due. (Hmm. Yesterday, I was in Richmond and saw that the car dealership was Dyson-Armstrong. A Peppler girl would marry an Armstrong.)

Now I am very sorry that Herb seems to be so careless, debt seems to be no worry to him. (Son Herbert was causing the family all kinds of problems in 1912. He was out West.) I hope you have just let him know how hard it is for you to be away from your family and that he might try and do better. He has not written me for several weeks . I really cannot understand how he can do it. Well, the weeks are going by and Xmas will soon be here I don’t know what the girls can do with the flat; or if they will be able to get someone to keep fires if they want to go home. They will have two weeks holidays. They were talking it over but said they would decide when you came. The weather has been quite nice since I came in here. I have not bought a coat. Takes more than I had. Marion got a long navy blue one that will be very comfortable this winter. Paid 16.50 and Flora got a brown the same price. They really needed them. (The pics above are from the Eaton’s catalogue for the next year. The first pages of the fall/winter catalogue feature Persian lamb coats, costing over 300. dollars! Marion makes a good salary of 600 a year.)I have not gone anywhere not been up to Cleveland’s yet. I have been having trouble with my teeth and as Marion was having work done at Cleveland’s Friday, I had him look at mine. (Dr. Cleveland is a Montreal dentist and likely related to the Nicholsons by marriage. The Clevelands are a founding family in Shipton County Quebec. Yesterday, I noticed a Cleveland is still a notary in Richmond, as is a Rowatt. Herb was in debt to to a notary named Rowatt back in 1910.) He said he would do an hours work for me Monday so I am to go at three o’clock, Too bad yours are giving you trouble. I think it is caused from cold, my front teeth at least one of them felt loose, but he said he did not think it was but found cavities in others. M. had five filled. Did I tell you that the Adams are moving in across where Dr. Astna was. This week E said the Haggarts were having a sale on the 16. Aunt Han has rented her house to a GTR man.

Marion said she was going to write you and tell you about Mr. Hugh Blair. (My husband’s grandfather.)He seems very nice. Went home Saturday to Three Rivers. (The CBC had a documentary about The Blairs of Quebec, anglos in the city. Hugh’s mom was French Canadian. His grandmother was Cree.)There are a good many things that he can do such as fixing window blinds, but Marion won’t let me ask him much. (Marion was fiercely independent, but she would be married to Blair in twelve month’s time.)We are trying to put the double windows on here. I want to see them on before I go, although so far they are not needed. I don’t think there is any danger of them getting behind: the four girls pay 25 dollars each. (That’s per month.)They would rather do it than board. They say it amounted to about that at Mrs. Ellis’s. (Where the girls sometimes boarded. Marion hated the way Mrs. Ellis “lorded it over her.” Again, its all abour preserving young women’s virtue.)Now don’t worry about Herb. We cannot help it now. If the work stops there you must just take a trip out west. See why he does not at least keep himself. He must know that Marion paid Aunt Han’s note. (Marion helped her family out financially in a big way.)He never wrote her or mentioned it to me. (Herb took no responsiblity for his actions.) Write when you get this and add to Richmond. They say I will be here two weeks more but I don’t like to leave Edith alone. (Edith has quit her Montreal teaching job in the spring. She would be in Montreal in May and attend the Canadian Council of Women’s Suffrage Night and hear Mrs. Snowdon, of England, speak. ) She said she would go to Kingsbury for a visit but she thought it was too cold and just stayed at home.

Your loving Wife
Margaret

Flora is always saying she is going to write but there is so much going on they don’t have time and when I write often they think I tell all. M>