Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-08
tReported for the Travellcr.1
Lecture on Fair Play for Women,
BIZ Geo. w. Curtis.

W ucOs w. GURUS.
At the hall Of the Lowell Institute,
last evening. George W. Curtis, Esq.
delivered lecture under the auspices OF
the Mercantile Library Association, on
"Fair Play for Woman" There was a
good audience. Mr.. Richardson, OF the
Lecture Committee, introduced Mr.. Cur
tbs to the audience in a very graceful
way. We give an outline Of the lecture,
which was frequently and he rtily ap-
planded.
Mr.. Curtis was warmly received. and
in the ;outset spoke of the non-commit-
talism of men generally. but this evening
he announced there was no Lyccum, no
Church, no party, to be compromis I'd by
what he should say He stood here
alone in sacred cause, and should say
things which many would disapprove, yet
in all endeavoring to speak the truth.
The subject Of the evening was no
new one, and when we saw that some-
thing might be done and ought to be
done, the next thing would be to see if
something could not be done. In our
day the women question was getting to
be quite robust. When women not far
away refused to pay taxes without rep
resentation, when the subject is being
brought yearly before the State I.egsla-
ture, when two-thirds of the voters of
Kansas were for giving equal rights to
women In the constitution, when the Sor-
bonne at Paris gave diplomas to several
hundred women, when millions of wo-
men everywhere doing half the hard
work OF the world reused mans hum an
heart, with all these and others, the ques.
ton whether women had equal rights
with men had become very robust, and
would not be hushcd.
The question was not whether women
were men. 1t was an instructive require
ment that women should be womanly,
and be-woman put all mankind to
flight. The sex had claims beyond the
kitchen and the nursery. Men had always
restricted women in matters which had
nothing to do with sexes, and strength
had always had the upper hand. The
position Of women had always been an
inferior position among the primitive
races; she belonged to the man who
seized her first. The Jews were polyg-
amists, and bought and sold woman and
st Paul looked not on them except in
the Jewish light. The ancient Egyp-
tians were polygamists. The Greek au-
thors placed women in state of perpet-
ual subjection, and the most accomplish
ed women were an outlawed class. That
most cultivated of ancient nations looked
upon wives as necessary evils, and women
as brod mares. The Romans were only
a little better. But among the Gauls
and the Northern nations there was a
difference, and there chivalry arose-yet
cLivalry required the knight to defend
the weak, and woman was regarded rath-
er as the courtezan. In all literature,
Shakespeare was almost the first. with
Elizabeth Tudor on the throne.to regard
woman as an equal. Yet in that time
men worshipped women as goddesscs, and
legislated for them as slaves.
Woman, as regarded in English litera-
ture was sketched by tn =, lecturer as in.
dicatcd in the writings of the leading
writer's. The whole theory of modern
society was that indicated by the Cochin
China provcrb-Women hearts bear a
great deal Of breaking There had al
ways been the same placing of women in
an inferior position.
Coming straight to our own country,
the lecturer instanced the universal po-
liteness with which women were treated,
and said that in consequence there was
a general feeling that women were as
well off as they ever need expect to be.
Undoubtedly, despite negro slavery-that
crime in morals and blundcr in economy
men and women had better general
position here than in any other country
ard time yet there was great deal
more to be done in the world than had
been done, and no one nceled to lcol
for the millennium before the end of tie
summer. Society sold its daughters. and
the daughters knew they were Sold
New York spread its fan before its vir-
tuous face, and thank God it was not as
to her cities, Tonight, in Boston. hun
dredS of young men were cndeavoring
by look,o word, or mar ner, to win hearts
which they would eventually place either
in their parlor only to be an ornament,
like pcacock's tail, or simply to be his
head cook, shirt inspector, or supcrinten-
dent IF brecchcs' buttons.
Tifc lecturer here made an excellent allu
sion to the career Of Florence Nightingale,
which was beyond the realm which
custom assigned to man, and yet whom
all the world hailed with admiration, and
all rejoiced that she had taken the posi-
ton which she did. What difference was
there between the Turk in his harem.
and the man who went home, shuiiled
off his good nature with his great coat, slip
ped on petulence and seliishncss with his
slippers, wished to have the children out
of the way and instead of the lovers sigh
treated his wife to the husbands snore
That woman. should really seek mcdi-
cal knowledge in the only way it could
be obtained, was an idea that raised a
great excitement. but We needed to thank
God that there were pioneers who went
TO meet the sunrise; that there were
women not far off who were blessed by
the dying and the sad, and sought to
please God and not Mrs. Grundy. Sc
in literary employments women was look
ed upon with suspicion.
In the mechanical employments women
were refused admittauce, and if they crow