The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-04-30
:. HOLLICK. Nj d
New YORK, ApriI rs. IS1t


| yesterday, in which You inquire if | am wiIina
10 state, by letter, thar attended vnur lectures
| In New York. aud heard and saw in them moth.
| ing objectionable? To this answer I'll rmoiivc.
| ", reJnIcng In any opportunity To prumule the
cause OF science. and To aid any of lis enlightened
and honest professors against ana ilbcral as
| sanls, from any source. ! know not whether
you are aSSaled by mere ignorance or by cupTi-
W wlckedly Specializing upon ignorance But
whenever The assault proceeds. your defence is
the duty OF every man who feels the least desire
To mitigate The suffering of poor misguided, de
trauded humanity. er
j have attended your lectures in New York.
and most cordially say To ali, go and do like
wise, Many years ago, my attention was
awakened To the ignorance of your subject pre
vaIlIng among all people excepting the medical
Faculty. Reflection told me that la This unu
rance were attributable nine lenIhs of The disease
affecting the reproductive system in both sexes.
no small portion Of thr RIGHTEOUSNESS that literally
ensiaves many men, that carries, in seduction or
In willing delinquency, So much desoarvn amunu
women, that makes such drporablc havpc amonU
me youth OF both sexes that taiurs the cruIversa
lion, even OF the maturity of men aud bays, with
S" much disgusting and degrading nhScenity and
mat stlmnlalrs and feeds The emprlcsm whose
'"alhs"me advertisements crowd our NEWSPAPERS
ana dehIe the lamp posts and markel-huuses and
public halls. and even churches of our cities
Ignorance. Thought |, gnnrance at The human
constitution, 0f Gods work is the poisonous FUN
TAIN whence flow these forbid and bitter waIers
ANA Whuever, again thought, will undertake ia
enlIghten all, The young and the old. the learned
and The nniearned, upon subject which uuuht ru
be familiar 10 every hnuan being. will bp bene-
factor 10 his race. My altenlinn was directed tn
ms sutJect nj an early age. Reared IN the nIds,
"i physicians, accustomed, from ciildhund To The.
socIeiy OF an uncle and elder brother both IN
extensive practice. and both bold aud free in
qnlrerS and free SPEAKERS. | was hardly permitted.
II disPosed. To remain in lgDuIancr "i the human
constitution. was an early wlInrsS To the en-
thuSlssn oil enlightened minds, IN EXPLAINING that
wonderful structure and lis high and HOLY rcIa-
lions; and was not only early. but a ready
listener I" such minds. when drcIiunu that nine
tenths OF disease proceeded from Ignorance. and
that men and women OnghL to he lneir own phv.
sclahs with this early direction. | could not
IN growing up, or IN proceeding through life re-
main IN contencd ignorance of the very source of
HE, OF The very foundation of all the suial rea
tons. and of the moral government DESIGNED To
control them. | could not iaIi 10 see, even in
shutting my eyes, that God had created The
reproductive system IN man, as the very iusru-
meht OF continuing race Of responsible and i'm
mortal beings, aud had thus made 1t the very
social relations which are the very objects of
moral laws, without which a moral government
would be vain abSurdly. He had designed that
The knowledge Oi IL should be within every ones
reach should be every ones duiy. And as I
went on, | cOnd not fail to see how this great
duty was neglected, how this mighty sui,jcct was
sealed book, excepting To a few. how the many
knew noihlng Of 1t. excepting lis abuse
WIN these opinions of this great subject long
cherished and often proclaimed | attended a
course of lectures upon Atheism. delivered in
Boston in 1880, by the Justly celebrated DIR Nv.
man beecher | am no seciarjan partisan Of this
great man, protesting. Unitarian, thpo!ori.
cal creed somewhat different from his Bul |
ADMIRE MS talents respect his integrity of pur-
POse' and honor his iTmness. and boldness, and
earnestness, and philosophical liberalIty. in the
cause OF humanity. physical and moral, body and
soul. In one of these lectures he alluded 10 the
ignorance prevalent upon The reproductive system.
To The physical and moral mlschiels caused hy
sOch ignorance, and To the duty of parents IN en-
tightening their children upon the uses of that
system, as the best preservaiive against it's abuses
lie told his hearers that this structure and tho
sensations and passion. connected with il. wer.
God's work. created for holy purposes ; that we
were bound to explore ii, in order to regulate il
according to Gods moral laws and thus To pre-
vent It, designed for good, from being perverted
To evil that children, at an early aye, saw forms
IN themselves. and Others, were CONSCIOUS of
sensations, and observed acts which could no more
be concealed than the monday sun, and within
certain moral limits, we're not designed for con
ceameni that impelled by natural curiosity. the
very thing designed to urge humanity on the road
10 knowledge. children would inquire abnpt such
things and therefore would learn their eCiti,n,te
uses from the enlightened and virtuons. or their
abuses from the ignorant and vicious and hence
That the obligation Of parents to instruct their
children " IN the way they should 90" on this |
subject, was imperative. need not cav with /
what satisfaction listened to these pbilosophcal
They were the first on the subject
which had ever heard from the pulpit and they
greatly augmented the respect which already /
for the enlightened and fearless phi
who proclaimed them. Here then is
me authority for your lectures, which the en-
lghtened and honest will joyfOlly and proudly
recognize, and before whom, even cantinp preten- |
ion must be dumb
But, thought ]. how can parents teach their
children, while remaining, themselves. in iono-
rance? How can children learn Of mothers 10
whom their own physical structure and operation |
are shrouded 10 the midnight Of ignorance. and