The duty of a mother to protect her child was the subject of a protest lodged by Mr. H. E. Stevens, Senior Consul's Deputy, who sat with Judge Shen, in the Shanghai Provisional curt on Nov. ember 16 in the ase sve woman was charged wita ing in her daughter, of age, for the purpose of on November 10.
Mr. Stevens protested against the jon of Judge Shen and said:—It is axiomatic that the duty of parents to provide for the maintenance of their children and to protect them is a principle of natural law, universal in its scope, an obligation laid on them not only by nature itself but by their own proper act in bringing them into the world, for they would be in the highest manner injurious to their issue if they only gave their children life, that they might afterwards see them perish. By begetting them, therefore, they have entered into a voluntary obligation to endeavour, s0 far as in them lies, that the life that they have bestowed shall be supported and preserved.
"But this accused did not stop with @ failure to perform a private moral duty, She went further and committed a crime against public morality by knowingly bargaining the sele of a minor for purposes prostitution. When she appeared before the Court at the last hearing and confessed to an offence against the laws, the honourable Judge gave no orders for her detention and trial, but, on the contrary, he favoured' her release and the return to her care of the child she the Police have arraigned her before the Court under articles 246, 249 and 913, of the Criminal Code, each of which involves a heavy penalty, he find" her guilty and sentences her to two months' detention, but, for what appears to be frivolous reasons, he suspends the execution of the sentence for a period of three years.
"This illustrates the quality of a judicial mind and its appreciation of the moral issues which now weigh so heavily on this Settlement, "The sentence is inadequate and should be appealed."
Mr. T. ¥, Van appeared for the accused.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.