New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-26
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
SKETUllES LECTU RES.
Cleopatra, the Woman of Passion.
BY MRS. 4. oAXEs SMITH.

Mrs L. Oakes Smith, on Wednesday even.
ing Nov. "A, delivered the last lecture Of her present
course 2, HoIe Chapel. There was gooily number
+ in attendance Tic lecturer said la considering the
character which have chosen TOR the sud- CT Of my
theme beg you Will bear in mind that a no, Civ
ing you moral cntique but speaking in accordance
with plan by which | wi TO present Que Or
more prominent aspects of nhood. ! wish 70
show the results of ceraip civilizations. In other
words TO exhibit through iype.womcn the gradual
eyoyement OF the higher qualities Of our Humanity
from the more selfish and passional woman OF Tie
classical times down the production Of womsnhsod
in the more intellectual II not heal!hfa ASPECT Ia our
day Cleol is to represent the woman OF pas.oa
or power she belong 10 On absolute cla-s Caud
we be shown ri once cast of the average heds pre-
vailre two thousand years ago. aud aae II
our twn times we should find ma ked chongs IN the
seat Of The brain. We should lind at pre- nj cha, the
top ct The modern head would DO found to lave
gaired in hlaht aud breadth. Ia other rls man xll
be leen TO have emerged from the celia OF his horse
into the cupoia where his vii Is at once broaler aad
more cheering. There has been z adur development
of the spiritual element and il may be thai those su MA.
uaI mantle, taons, OF which we hear 20 much have
thus good phio-ophlc bese. AID. mat risss
hipler in the scale Of being. supernatural spheres vii
be revealed 20 him.
In order TO meet subject fdriy We must dves
ourselves OF all the prejudice OF the day-ay aslh
our tine spun moraties our opinions superndacei9
modern culture the growth Of enterprise. scieneA
Christianity we NUT forget our Theories oi huns
freed m ono be deaf to the great voice Of the aga, tw
solemn, stupid owl wisdom oil modern cant"
After alludng TO rhe~thange that has taken phs
abroad as regai ds individual sovereignty of the me
- A f.ll,
Tlis much by way of preliminary before we %
down into Egypt and co lsider thl, rsress climax
ancient civz cation this matches creature OF iascns
ton who made her litle empire the arena for peo'
20 much luxury with close Of such tragic iateretia
Foreground Of dazzling light and beauty with per-
spectve Of vast shadowy figures, before whose ponp
the huge barbsT',ms oi the Pagan world crumoieo
decay As we recall the ago and bring 20 the nafs
eye the periods ri, in ch ,ractor and adventure We
hnd Rome triumphant over he world shrinxs into Ia
significance before the little Egypt, mado mighty by
the lassons OF who stands forth 10 all time
clear and diftinct creation as real and sedu tive
low as che two thousand years ago; "whsn age
could not wther, nor custom stale her inhnlto va
ntty"
The sfad and solemn divine goes aside from his path
that he may write her biography, threadia he ia;ri'
cscs Of the subject only Priest can do clinglng
10 cant ara ye in love with Cleopatra for dsg also
a. be will her magnetic hbres have thrilled ldown tho
ccntuIies and have drawn him aide from he beaten
h hway Il to the more gged path OF robust natare
The school-bOys reads that Ceopatras smile Lost
Anthony Tie world" with a vague feeling that il wS
worth the winning even at such cot
When we read OF the women of history we at once
change The scale Of JUDGMENT and apply another
standard from TINT by which we judge Of the mea OF
history Thu may be upon the whole just they ha'ing
represented the passonal than the iItellectaa
type; thus CleoJhtrs, Ielose and Mary Stuart are al
once placed in relation TO certain moral laws, and We
fret Ourselves in vain end 'avors 10 square their lives IN
accordance We have not the hardihood ;ept them
A. fscts re,ulfs OF certain social aspects anf thus M
them stand by themselves vt their own value. Sui
their chara, teri have strange fascination for staaI
ing out az they do the page of history and n,ho"
human bings ieela warmer sympathy for your sinner
than your saint
Ihave eel, cted Cecpstra the representative ofths
won an OF Pa,sioD, and u-e the Phrase rs synouy
mouf with power Every aspect in which this charsc-
teristic betrayed Itself in her womauly-nten-ey
womanly A touch more OF this quality, aud sks had
been inspired Sappho-a glorious creature Of crea
dive song-wko awed into reverence the hearts led cap
tive by her beauty touch less AMI n, had been the
frril child of senes who drags the love god from
the throne OF the divine and doons him base earth
born sfiLies.
Our passions many blind elements Of pow
err. They hiybten and intensity the whole being
They give electric power the soal stimulate the in
teect exslt the sentiment and raise 10 highest
or sink 20 lowest capacity Of life They inps 20
action though ignorant Of resul. aud yet there cor
tsn PRESENCE in their train by which ming eV nts
cast Il cir shadows before" the brute fore-ees tas
esrthouske The psssons lead In the infancy Of sccie
ty ace In their shape ia our Congress,
where have declined from the heroic and are not
ya irnoohed into gentlemen but ia the heroic Ase Of
people they prompt to daring AMI aiven,ure-sheJ
render trsve men quick to bat.le and fair women to
sin.
l do not now inquire whether this Cleopa,rs-'hS
woman Of power-was this or that; do n ct n
Judgment upon her 10 Ia enough for me. ths, out a
the eternal de nies such fine soul has been evolved
that, oVt Of the dead level OF wonanle, allcoa'
ceI,ered sos has walked the earth In swn freedom,
and ls its aspects upon the ages She the ryp'
the old powerloving civilizarionsthe cun nation o.
an antique womsn-vehstnent in passion. cove Gus Of
POWER guinay in battle voluptnous in love- treaca-
erow and vindictve, and. compared with her Z Up
ten ard Greek predecessors the most powerful and rne
mot W, manly Of her class Mrs. 8. remarked thai
eurious fact that the most prominent Aspects o.
lumsnity eliminate in the feminine. Plmyrs
ended with Zenoia the Ptolemies sunk with cieopas'
! re- the JewNh power went down with The CaSsuaa