CO129-210 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1883 [6-7] — Page 244

235 is their object. In their way, these houses of assignation are snares by which women are ruined. As to those women who are bought for the purposes of prostitution, their loss is still more disastrous. Men, who practise bordello-ness, feel ashamed to face their superiors and elders. Youths, who are hot-blooded and who should refrain from lewd practices, but whose sole delight is seeking for sexual pleasures, are afraid lest, if this be known to their fathers or elder brothers, their allowances will be cut short, and they dare not visit registered brothels, but only frequent sly ones. Others, who have been entrusted with money by their employers, being afraid lest their extravagance should result in their dismissal, also dare not seek for pleasure in registered brothels. Unless a visitor is introduced by someone intimate with the inmate of the brothel he desires, registered brothels will not admit him nor entertain him, while the sly brothels will respect and welcome him until he departs, like an uninvited guest. In this way, diseases are easily generated, some of which nothing will cure.

This is the snare by which youths are ruined. The reasons are that these sly brothels are not particular about... they do not charge heavily, and the visitors need not fear that the matter will be found out by their fathers and elder brothers or perceived by their relatives and acquaintances. In these brothels, visitors can stay or go as they like, pleasing themselves as to the length of their visits. In this Colony, almost nine out of ten houses are sly brothels. Alas! although stern prohibitions have been issued in Hong Kong against the evil, they are empty form, and are regarded almost as an encouragement by those who open sly brothels, and some worthless characters who stop the mouth of anyone who might speak out against them.