Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-12-08
Mrs. WOODHULL ON FREE LOVE,
A Lecture on Marriage and Divorce,
Free Love and Prostitution.

| formed me tlat several gentlema
had been applied to, particular
within the circuit OF these two o
three neighboring cities, to know
whether they would OCCUPY tn
platform and preside on this occs
sion. tvery one had declined on
after the other, for various reasons
the chief among them being first
objections to the ladies character
and second, objections to the ladie'
views. / was told that she was com
ing upon this stand unattended an
alone. Now, as to her character.
know 1t, and believe i'm it, an
vouch for it. (Applause and a fe,
hisses.) AS to her views she vii
give them to You herself in q fe,
moments. and you may Judge 10
yourself. 1t may be that she is a fa
natic; it may be that l am fool
but before high heaven, woul
rather be both fool and fanatic II
one than to be such a coward a
would deny to woman the right .
free speech. (Applause.) Idesire t
say that five minutes ago L did no
expect to appear here. Allow m
the privilege of saying that with a
much pride as ever prompted me +
the performance of any act in tn
last fifteen or twenty years, | hav
the honor of introducing to yo,
Victoria G. Woodruff, who will ad
dress you upon the subject of socia
freedom. (Applause.)
The World in its report says tha
Mrs. Woodruff was neatly attire,
in black, and read her address will
great volubility from printed pages
The reading occupied about tw,
hours, and beyond a few interrup
tions which will be noted, secured
marked attention from the vast au
dience. The passages in faver of tn,
abolition Of all legal restriction
upon the sexual relations produced
mixed applause and Misses, unit
everything that could by possibility
be turned into double entendre wa.
productive of laughter from q body
of men who seemed to be rather pre-
riently in clined, They were evi
IDENTIFY disappointed at the high
moral ground, and rather chagrinet
Mt the limited license which th,
speakers definition of free love
would allow.
Mrs. Woodruff spoke at greaI
length. The passage which excited
the most attention from.the audience
was the following: ....
would not be understood to say
that there are no good conditions in
the present married state. BY nc
means do l say this on the contra.
ry. very large proportion of the
present social relations are commen.
dable-are as good as the present
But what / do assert and that most
positively. is. that all which Is good
and commendable, now existing
would continue to exist if all mar
riage laws were repealed tomorrow.
Applause and hisses.
At this point Mrs. Brooker, sister
of Mrs. Woodruff, amid mingled
cheers and hisses, arose froDa the
midst of q company of both sexes In
a private box, and excitedly said:
"I would like to know how you
would like to be born in the world
and not know who was your father
or mother ?"
A scene of confusion ensued which
was finally quelled by Mr.. Tilton's
announcing If the audience wanted
to hear the lady in the gallery, both
himself and Mrs. Woodruff would
afford them the opportunity. Mrs.
Woodruff had however, amid the
widest confusion abandoned her man.
uscript, advanced to the front of the
platform, and with vehement gestic-
ulation said that it was not such a
terrible thing after all to be born IL
legitimately. She declared that
some of the noblest and beet men in
the country. among whom she nam
ed David g. Farragut. and William
Pitt Fessenden were illegitimate
children.
The persons In the vicinity of Mrs.
Brooker had vacated their places, and
the appearadce of O policeman at her
side inviting her to leave was the oc-
casion of renewed confusion and
calls of "speech !" "take the plat
form :" shear her." &c. She was at
first about to go with the M. P, but
finally determined to remain, and
seated herself determinedly. saying
II am her sister" The policeman
with great discretion, retired amid
the applause of the audience, and
Mrs. Woodruff proceeded to the close
with but occasional interruption.
She defended Mrs. Mcfarland,
and declared that Mrs. Crittenden
should have given way 10 Mrs.
Fair for the happiness of all parties.
She said:
If our sisters who inhabit Green
street and other filthy localities
choose to remain In debauch, and II
our brothers choose to visit them
there, they are only exercising the
same right that we exercise In
remaining away. and we have no
more right to abuse and condemn
them for exercising their rights
that way than they have to abuse
and condemn us for exercising our
rights our way. But we have q duty
and that is by our love, Kindness,
and sympathy to endeavor to pre-
vail upon them to desert those ways
which we feel are so damaging to all
that 10 high and pure and true in
the relation of the sexes. The good
women Of one of the interior cities
Of New York some two years since
organized q movement to put down
prostitution. They pushed the mat.
ter until they found their own hus-
bands, brsthers and sons involved,
and suddenly then desisted, and
nothing has since been heard of the
eradication of prostitution In that
city. If the same experiment were
to be tried in New York, the result
would be the same. The supporters
OF prostitution would be found TO be
those whom womeH cannot ostraS
else. The same disability excuses
the presence Of women In the very
home, and / need not tell you that
Mormonistn Is practised In other
places besides Utah. Laughter aud
applause.
The following was her descrip-
tion of free love:
To more specially define free love,
i would say that prefer to use the
word love with lust as Its antithesis,
love representing the spiritual and
lust the animal the perfect and har.
monious relations of the two being
the perfected human This use has
its Justification In other pairs of
words as in good and evil; heat
and cold; light and dark; up and
down; north and south; which in
principle are the same, but In prac,
tice we are obliged to judge OF them
az relatively different.
At the conclusion of the lecture
Mrs. BROKER was afforded hearing
and simply said .'How are you
going to reform those bad women
ysu speak off you teach them and
permit them to live in promiscuity
with men ?n
Mr.. Tilton then declared the meet
Ing adjourned and the audiences dis