, 1863-07-01
Secession Women.


It is related in letter which We published
yesterday, that the secession women Of Bllt.'
more are now in the habit Of rising from their
knees during worship in the Roman Catholic
Cathedral at the instant when the priest re.
cites the prayer for the President Of the Uni
ted States. The phrase ended, these women
resume the posture Of devotion.
When the rebel women carry to this fiteA
the feeling Of 1oathing and hatred toward the
Government, they show how sincere is their
adherence 10 the rebellion, and how malignant
Is tho spirit which prompts the men whose
cause they cspouse. From the beginning Of
the war down to this day The Southern women
have given unmistakable proof Of absolute
earncs'ness, often deg ne,ating into disgrace.
fal exhibitions like these In The Baltimore ca.
thedral, and not unfrequCnt]y finding more
disgusting expression in nnWomanly acts o1
violence. Yet Gen. Butler Las been csnsured
ut home and abroad for the mea5urcs he adop.
ted to reduce such women to order, and
Northern women are asked By conservative
"peace" people. to say nothing in society
which can offend the tender scnsibi1itics o1
The reasons for the I.sue Of the fanous
"order No. ss," we may add, arc excellently
given in the last number Of the atlantic
Monthly, by On officer On Gen. Buffers stall,
who vas present In New Orleans when the
order vas made and enforced. The writer
shows that the action Of Gen. Butler vas not
only required, but that its effect was salutary,
We quote paseaEe:
"1hat something was necessary to be done
to stop the insults to which we were contiou-
ally subjected By the other sex, I presume no
one who is well Informed rs to their freauen-
CT aud humtliatfng character Till f3r mo.
mcnt doubt Upon our arrival in tho city
fattcred myself that Bucl demonstrations
would excite In me no sentiment moro serious
than pity for the cAi1dishness that prompted
thtm; Eut confess that, after day or two,
the angry Withholding Of the dress from con-
tact with my person, and the abrupt depar-
ture from The sidewalk to the middle Of the
street to avoid even passing the hated uniform.
were tco much for my philosophy, and gaze
me sense Of humiliation moro painful than I
Gun express. And Jet the iasnlts / received
we're slight compared to those offa1cd to
| many Of our officers and men.
This condition Of affairs continued about
two weeks, until it became positively in-
| to1erable.
sYoung officers, too gallant, and too deep.
If imbucd with the Ame1ican respect for wo.
| men, tc resent, By word or deed, the lndigni
| t., would come to the General with their
cheeks crimson with shame and the effort to
reprcss their just indignation, and beg him to
take some measure for the suppression Of the
c5il
"Nost men ould have seen no other solu.
| ton to the difficulty than the arrest and pun,
fshment OF . few Of the offenders as warn
! ing to the rest. But Gen. Butler foresaw,
what was afterward proved In the case Of Mrs
Larue. that the arrest of women would In
yariab.y provoke street disturbance Which
+! might lead to bloodshcd; he, therefore, re
| membering an old ordinance of the city o.
| London, Iciublishcd it in the form Of the
general order which has gained SO universal 6
celebrity.
yindicatioa Of the pzopriety OF this order, o.
Of the Generals sasacity IN Issuing it, ta:t
that the first twent3-tour hours after its pro
mitigation witnessed complete, and, II
seemed TO us who were t1sre, almost q mira
culors, change in the department Of the Ia
dies Of the Crescent City! If success is thu
tcgt Of merit, then vas 1t one of the mos
| me1itorious acts Of the war;
The women Of Baltimore seem to be OF ths
zane kind with the women Of New Orleans
and desire to render themselves a1nenahle t.
4 similar discipline.