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Mrs. Warren s Profession 177
in Egypt, played an important role in Greece and
Rome, formed one of the influential guilds in the
Middle Ages, and has been one of the main sources
of income for the Christian Church.
But it was left to modern times to make of Mrs.
Warren s profession a tremendous social factor,
ministering to the needs of man in every station of
life, from the brownstone mansion to the hovel,
from the highest official to the poorest drag.
Time was when the Mrs. Warrens were looked
upon as possessed by the devil, lewd, depraved
creatures who would not, even if they had the
choice, engage in any other profession, because
they are vicious at heart, and should therefore be
held up to condemnation and obloquy. And
while we continue to drive them from pillar to
post, while we still punish them as criminals and
deny them the simplest humanities one gives even
to the dumb beast, the light turned on this subject
by men like George Bernard Shaw has helped to
expose the lie of inherent evil tendencies and nat
ural depravity. Instead we learn :
Mrs. Warren. Do you think I did what I did be
cause I liked it, or thought it right, or wouldn t rather
have gone to college and been a lady if I d had the
chance? . . . Oh, it s easy to talk, very easy, isn t it?
Here ! Would you like to know what my circum
stances were? D you know what your gran mother was?
No, you don t. I do. She called herself a widow and
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