New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-21
An EVENING WITH THE POETS.
THE POSITION OF MISS ADAH ISAACS
MENKEN

MENkEN.
We were certainly disappointed, although we cannot
say surprised find in the person of the performer at
Hope Chapel, last evening" another female apoogst.
That woman is an immemorial martyr to the baee
passions of man. that at all periods she has been
toDly deprived of every right bestowed upon her by
impartial Heaven--even of the right of speech; that
society has face Of stone against her. and that she
has universally been left out in the cold is fact fully
admitted and faithfully deplored, we cheerfully
certain, by majority of our feOw-men. In humilia-
ton of spirit they accuse themselves of blacklist
treacbery and cruelty. The wasted forms of their
victims rice reproachfu before them. But men, they
likewise feel ii is in hem and what are they going to
do about il Shall they be dragged forever to the fu
neral pile Of public execraion Shall they be constant
ly confronted with the ghasy shape of the historical
feminine martyr Is it not enough that nearly every
man, anived at years of maturity, has more
private skeletons in bis hOuse, that he should be per-
sonaly implicated in the terrible fate of the periodical
Voice Of the Sex-the rrepressble representative of
Eve pursued by the serpentl
Accustomed as all of ne are to having the apple
thrown violently at miserable head-and still
snartipg from the righteous, although perhaps iDju
dcious pepperiDg in thai fruit lately inflicted by Mrs
Quincy few suspected that under the pleasant guse
of an Evening With the Poets" Miss Adah Isaacs
heDken proposed martyrdOm, seasoned albeit, with
msgnanimity-tbat amid the flowers of fancy which
should be summoned to bloom in Hope Chapel last
evening" by that arch interpreter Of the Bards,
destined appear the distressing head of the serpent
that really is responsible for all the present mischief
betwsen man and woman Recognizing geDils as
the only true Interpreter Of genius many of those fifty
or perhaps ti1ty odd who turned from the giddy
PsychomaDtheum of Professor Anderson to the
IL
eied by sincere desire to see the need of
appreciation and sympathy bestowed by her upon
the divine and immortal conceptions Of the great poets
and beneath this craving of the after genius
perhaps the wish the interpreter define her posi-
ton Let us confess that the cry of ourfasn although
not wholly guilty, ma ure, for such definition
And we submit to tribunal of the loveest and most
gracious Of our readers whether we were not justified
to look out for something sharp and spicy by poster
inscribed with declamaor ny type, "The Age of IRE
"prtssibes Adah Isaacs Menken will Define her
position" &c.-especially when the reflection is
added that 10 this name few months since affixed
that of Champion equally distinguished then as now,
although far away from JoDes's Wood and the loved
shades of the Malta while since the restoration of
that gentleman there has been apparent to the
world why the euphoneOus appellation should be
abandoned
But the stern fate Of our faitbless sex at the
very threshold of the Coapel Of Hope. The motto OF
the programme of an Evening With the Poets, more
carefully printed than the rest of the paper lin which
for Trial scene could be read "Flna seene," aud
Edgar II. Poe stood steadily for another honored
name, was THE:
al read and write for those men and women who
do not Iejet relgion-hat sole sanctiier of manand
who do not turn away from the light of goodness
i may ~ "A
woman for her purity of motives her aspirations and
her suferings, wherever che may be found"
And conscious guilt stole the countenance Of
every read ing and bordering man. and several unusu-
ally aband oned monsters did actually turn away from
the light Of goodness before that light began TO fairly
shine and stuug with shame at the thought that 10 the
whole course Of their lives they had never honored
woman for her purity of motives, her aspirations aud
her suerDgs fed inoontiuenty from the retributlon
that was certain TO come, sooner or later in the
" Evening with the Poets"
But it until all the bar6s Of the occasion had
been interpreted, that Miss Menken defined her posi-
ton The motto justly prefgured the doom of her gal
liant little band Of listenersgalant enough 10 applaud
almost every utterance, az some dreadful beasts are
said 10 sagate and soften their prey befre tearing to
pieces and devouringit. 1t was the old story of the
hard struggle up the hill Of life in this instance against
ing lions, and a few this heart knows
how few . friends. Once more we were called
mon 20 witness the struggle Of a heart,
Dast off the corrOdng chains Of malice aud envy, and
10 stand regenerated and redeemed. Once more we
we're assured that in this desperate, although fayOrte
piece of business it is not necessary to throw aside
youans ''garb or spirit and assume the form Of the
Amazon. Once more was put to us the earnest In
ury whether this woman should Lot be permitted TO
e noble and pure person, without further Interrupt
ion And, as always before the position was
hat of female forsaken Of the world, aud throwing
s,self mon the Judge up above, who will judge
,igbt And these "few friends" scarcely included
the very limited company then present., might take
ut of Court the assurance that their rest would be
weeter 70 kno that they had let lightinto struggling
Dul. A.,
Now we do not hesitate 10 say that If Mics Adam