Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait.

  • Tait, William
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    principle of justice and good feeling is violated by them.^ (poor girl I in the instance alluded to was,'\,on the principles of justice, only indebted to her mistress £6 for six weeks' board and lodg- \ ing ; \but the latter,! being aware of the value of the Presses,, was \ ; determined to rob her of every article belonging to her., To ^ make the robbery as plausible as possible, she adds ^£'19 of ex- penses, in name of nurse's and doctor's fees, not one farthing of which either nurse or surgeon ever received. The dresses thus appropriated to herself would in a short time be sold to other girls at more than their original value, and pass from one to another, till they had been sold to six or eight individuals. A silk dress was known to bring its owner more than £20 in the course of one year. This dress was sold six times in four months, at about £3 each time. After passing through ten different hands, it was sold latterly at 10s. In general, dresses in passing from one to another bring about .^£'10 or £12, the prime cost being about 50s. Even at these prices, dresses alone must form a considerable item in the profits of the establishment. (A.nother method of making money,^ similar to the one just referred to, is th^4aking and sub-letting of houses.^ After having realized a little money\many of the:,Dames de Maisonsjiinvest it iii the purchase of furniture^*and take houses at a low rent,^^ which they sub-let iitp. some girl :on finding caution for the paj^ment of a certam sum per week^^h£ ]3ractice prevails^^ a very consider- able extent^anS^ecornes an exceedingly profitable speculation^ (One woman in townTia^^ur such establishmentslyTwo Gave thr^ each ; and many of them have two. /The rental of these apart- ments is about £5 or £6 a-year j)(the^alue of the furniture may be from ^£'12 to £30;{the charge per week averages from 16s. to 25s.^(^thus clearing from 120 to 200 per cent, per annuin) There are one or two sub-let houses for which from £2 to £3 per week is charged. The profits derived from these are so great, as to keep the ladies to whom they belong independent. Whenever a house is fairly established, it lets or sells at a very high premium. The good-will of a house, the furniture of which may not be worth more than £80 or i?100, might be sold, including the furniture, at £300 or ^^400, and perhaps £l or £2 a-week for six months'