Josephine E. Butler
Biography and Correspondence
Josephine Elizabeth Butler (Apr. 13, 1828-Dec. 30, 1906) was born into a privileged family, whose father believed that girls as well as boys should be educated in politics and social issues. In her teen years she experienced a religious crisis that made her critical of the Anglican Church, but prompted a deep individual Christian spiritually apart from the organized church. In 1850 she married George Butler, a Fellow at Exeter College in Oxford. Scholarly males who expressed that moral failures in women were worse than in men offended her in conversations in her husband’s social circles. It came to their attention of a young unmarried woman in Newgate prison whom a university don had seduced and who in despair had killed her newborn baby. Deeply affected by the story, the Butlers arranged to have the woman live in their house for the remained or her sentence.
After the accidental death of one of her children, Josephine decided to become more involved in helping the poor of society. She began to visit the workhouse in Liverpool, where they had recently moved, and she spoke and prayed with many of the women there. She created several homes for women dying in the terminal stages of venereal disease after she ran out of space for them in her own home. At the same time, she became involved in the rights of women to vote and to allow married women to own their own property instead of it automatically becoming their husband’s possession.
In 1869, Josephine became aware of the Contagious Disease Acts of 1864, 1866, and 1869, which allowed police to imprison women in special hospitals if they considered them prostitutes. No evidence was needed except the officer’s word and the women were forcibly given genital examinations for venereal disease. Women who fought against the examinations would be imprisoned with hard labor. Many lower class women had their reputations destroyed as a result of these acts and many had to turn to prostitution as their only alternative for work after being publically declared to be prostitutes by the officers. There were no penalties for men for seeking prostitutes. Finally in 1886 the acts were formally repealed due to Butler’s efforts.
In her investigations into the issue of prostitution and the Contagious Disease Acts, shoe found cases of prostitutes as young as 12, and further evidence of a slave trade in young girls from England to the European continent for prostitution. She became involved in publicizing this reality and was prominent in exposing sex trade offences in Belgium, Britain, and India as well. She opposed so-called purity societies that attempted to force people to be moral, which she felt was impossible. She wrote over 90 books and pamphlets, and was an essential in the passing of laws which raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 years of age, made it a crime to abduct a girl under 18 for sexual purposes, and repealed the Contagious Diseases Acts.
As a devout Anglican, Butler was honored by being celebrated in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on the 30th of May. She saw her work and her feminism as an expression of her Christian faith, and it has been reported that her favorite phrase was, “God and one woman make a majority.”
Florence
Dec. 10, 1893
My dear friend,
I am leaving here for Rome, where my address will be Hotel Italie, and I feel a desire just to tell you how I have fared so far. I have been in Italy about a fortnight, and have seen a good many people of the right sort. I see there is a good field in Tuscany. The Tuscans are open minded and generous, and more moral than the Southern Italians. I believe a spark is already lighted, for our purity cause, and of that spark there may come some purifying fire, if it is fanned by the breath of God. It has been a very interesting and instructive time to me. I have made myself acquainted with the present state of Italian politics, which is confused and complex. Our former ally Crispi seems likely to be Prime Minister, if he can succeed in forming a cabinet. There are soe very noble ladies here- noble by birth and in character, Catholics but liberal, who will lend their drawing rooms for meetings when – if it please God- I return this way from Southern Italy.
I hear an exceeding bad account of the morals of the Vatican. It is said (but in whispers) “It is nothing but a house of prostitution,” and this, it was imagined would be so discouraging perhaps to me that I would not approach it. I was lying on my bed resting, after some friends (Italians) had spoken to me of the corruption of the high ecclesiastics, and the thought came to me, “if the Vatican is a house of prostitution, how suitable it is that I should enter it, if God leads me there! For was I not called to work for and among prostitutes? Perhaps the hearts of prostitute Cardinals may yet not be altogether given up to sin.” I am sure God has some however who are just and good men among the Roman clergy. I make no special effort in any one direction, but try to bring my message to “all sorts and conditions of men.”
Please consider what I have said as confidential; but send my letter, if it is worthy to Miss Willard and Lady Henry, just to let them know that God is giving me openings. I have been reading Lady Henry’s magnificent speech at Covent Garden Theatre (was it?) and somebody writes me that Miss Willard was there and is so much better. I do praise God for that. So many have prayed for her. I am alone- but possibly my sister Mrs. Meuricoffre may join me in Rome. Give my kindest regards to your daughter and Mr. Pearsall Smith and believe me yours affectionately,
Josephine E. Butler
