New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
CUR REFoRNERs, AND MlRrYROoa
GENERALLY.


julia BRANCH, who had someb'" ana ''0e
wAere, not D.D SoDsd, s,Ser.ed Der rso' !" '','
"vlem are pleased, and 70 bear eoiI'ien on'
"uh<T erie loved"
rlxa m ;sf,,u,. alton Of 3;s Bfsoco oeyJnd
wsas 10 conveyed 10 your paper WI s's IL sy'u
n Free Lever; sDd aro also gfe'Ily n1lniofne1 ~
4. .ho the Free Lovers, tecsLicily 40 called, are,
"A ,s IN WIS. il the scope Of their movement.
pot IL .hs ob,erya.ions Of Mrs. Bfsncb, ss qlo5ed
IN The Sstxrdoy Recnc, tted any light oo toe
soss.ioD hope we are al Of ls, 10 pose If not IN
ps. Free Loyers. at lessI am sure that al per-
sons wbo have been al all cultivated out o. mere
,saa,iiy mat insaidIy approve that lidy's posi-
tps. Tlere may BE- some rsc)Ddite meaning 10
Tie ue. which her language doss no. imsse bdt its
thsitus import seems to me altogether ilnO'en''
ssppo,e sbe had ASSUMED the op5,'.,e position,
Ard ntibtained hsr readiness 10 love, n)s wae'e
her win bat " here her Decesstiss physical ndsocsa
eea,tsalpea her, s1d 10 bear children, nos where
SIZE loved, bit where she was assured Of having nef
b,ssd Nd butter alGays provided her. We should
have saia, Yes, IN is the hlsdthp OF the tine,
sEdsucb 10 tie degradation 70 when most women
"ue ,ubj cte1; bat what shameless creature
this is to be eonts0t with ber position, aod d.
"svow any higher ideal
There is 10 te sure something ver3 Sefda1s 70
ry mra 10 t,lkiDg Of "lO7ing Shere one VIII, OF
ube.e one "pleases,' IS II cns we're taking OF
,cuse contract Of outWsrd service. For, as it
t.sus 70 rae with 10Y limited instruction in sn;h
n,tter,, TIE vii Las precisely ):hiag % DO With
4. &c 10 Vfs~s IN
kSson, no doubt, &c a baais Of a.l our particular
hyes, AID 80 long - We remain 10 sissge or un-
S<yeI,yed conditions, this general love c)usrit1tss
cor sole experience of love. Bat ! should be
sorry to do Mrs Branch the injustice Of supPosiDg
Mat ,he 10 careful 10 lsgslste for tbs. very pie
ihoric interest. She unlonb5edy mean, BY love
10 mere animal appetite bus .be ds.ioc!yely
human passion 60 nGmcd, the burden OF all
renLnce, the theme Of AL poetry, cJnsistnS il
the purely spontaneous accord OF soHl with soul
8Dd over this psfsion the will has no power. 1t
j, simply divine rapture, aad to talA Of euac.ius
ii where one will or where one plessas if We
literally mean what we sly, is hsgcsu!lg 30 reckon
without ones host. Mrs. Branch is not 90 foolish,
sn penuAded. Ste means to affirm the rigdtfI
supremacy Of tbs human soul over the human body
m every case, and especially witoin the reslm of
Pas,ior: peitter moSe nor less. All tee world
viii agree ~ith her on this point befJre loag. But
eanyhile sm ~ loss 10 ua8erstand with WhaE
propriety her critic prOnouaces her language to %
":bs very pemmican of insolenca and ns'tines',"
and invites her to be,ome prostitute; unless the
foulle.s Of his mouth indicate the founets Of his
heart, spd express bis iOcspacity to discern any
good which 10 NOT strictly conventional.
should excep. TO Mrs, b, if l cared TO do 80 st
al, ON another ground, which s not her sentm ent,
but Ass public svoSal of it. have never heard
syllable about Ms. Branch, in the way either Of
praise or blame, and have no doubt che is a most
modest and feminine person, when LEFT 10 her owD
nstnct,; but the eMe Of publicity which We all
epjoy in this happy republic too often betfays aud
fA.fes the beat people, BY tempting them iAto tae
most groundless and sup@vhaous herOics No one
can doubt that Mrs. Branch will act IN all circum-
stances truly womarly part, no. ever DC willingly
fal.e to the bright ideal which snimstes. her. But
Why come before the newspaper bic, 10 tell them
go, Why thrust ones private virtue upon public
attention What effect las it but to inhsme that
aresdy rsbid appetite for persOnal gossip ant
dial which s the curse Of society s over the world,
ard the lAussous stock in trade apparently, of too
many Of our American ne Tspapers Mrs. Branch
NAY say that there is no other way Of enlightening
public sentiment / disagree with her. / thlnk
We have entirely cutgrown the necessity Of martyr.
dom, which was the necessity of al unscsn.ifc
era. 1t 10 now mere stupidity. We live in an
IT, ;rfar
be broadly declared in yernacular phrase, without
parable or allegOry-in good set scientific;
or universal terms without personal aLuslon
Of any Sort In this sts.e OF things 10 set up for
martyr, appears to me highly pedsntc st the very
kat. II is Ike preferriDg manuscript 10 print, or
keomotiop by stage coach 10 loeomo!iOn by rail-
wss. Any one that pleases may of course do so,
ku: haus me if penny Of my earaings goes to
build him tomb The martyrtsmper w1 never
4 tiuly human one, even when il performed It's
frsndsst uses to humanity. Iiis still less go now,
when all those use, may be vastly better perfOrnsd
II ys,iy len cost. Msrtyrdom was the highest
expression Of the mOrel life, bu! t5a. lfo i. now
everywhere giving placs to the ,pontsueous one,
IL whish not truth but good reisns; alj b insist
pptn ALL wearing its colors s only TO insult the
psbhe sense To be martyr is 50 keenly to
kel the supremacy Of truth whics no fairly -deve-
sIed person st this day does, as 10 be W ling to
encounter dungeons and eters AID zoe stake itself
rather than cease bearing public testimony 10 it.
The martyrs did Of course an immeuse service 10
humanity in their day, AID should have some suits
be endis" memorial upon csrta; ba, much doubt
whether they were in general likely to enjoy
heaven. Tne heavenly temper j, not one Of martyr.
dem. can't indeed imagine more unc lmforta
Bile iot 10 Reasonable Christisn soul than t.